Brewing a Connection
by Coopereid
Summary: Coffee Shop AU. Derek the barista falls hard and fast for one of his customers, but the only problem is Spencer has only one priority in life: academics. Can Derek win him over and show him that there is, in fact, more to life than school?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story is a work in progress I've had going for a while. My best friend actually requested I put a bunch of stories on the backburner to work on this, because she'd love to see how I make it work. Unfortunately, she recently passed away, so I'm going to pick up this story and get it done for her. As always, I own absolutely nothing in the Criminal Minds world, and just made an AU for my own enjoyment.

* * *

Working at a coffee shop wasn't the most respectable job that a guy could have, but when it was between that to pay the bills or moving back in with his mother, the choice was obvious for Derek. It wasn't that it was a bad job to have: he enjoyed making people laugh and smile with their morning coffee, and getting rid of some of the stress for the college students who came in to work on their papers. His boss had noticed how charming he was, along with how well he communicated with the customers, and instantly promoted him to full-time. One of the best parts of his job was his co-worker who was always scheduled with him, Penelope. It started out as playful flirting, but now it was full blown entertainment for the customers.

At the shop, they had their fair share of regulars: there were the students from the local university, the businessmen and women, couples, groups of friends, and individuals who would drift in mid-afternoon. Over time, they'd get so familiar with someone that they'd have their order memorized. Then, of course, there were the people who enjoyed trying something new every time, or those who would come in, just because they had a gift card or someone recommended it. They could always spot one of these customers from a mile away, because it just seemed like they didn't belong there. Nevertheless, Derek always turned on the charm and made it a great experience for the customer.

Derek always had the morning rush shift, because he was able to keep up with the demand and still have a smile on his face. He tucked a Sharpie behind his ear, turning to Penelope.

"Monday morning - ready for the insanity, sweetness?"

"As always, venti mocha," she said, winking at him and taking out her own purple sharpie.

He smirked, unlocking the front door and walking behind the register, logging in and waiting for the customers to start coming.

She clicked her tongue. "I bet you first up today is going to be Mr. Uptight in his pinstripe suit with his fake leather briefcase."

He chuckled. "I don't know, we could have Miss 'If I don't get my coffee in two minutes, I'll commit murder'."

She thought to herself. "Loser has to clean the blenders?"

He nodded, shaking her hand. "It's on."

The first customers of the day ended up being what Derek assumed was a couple and their son: a tall blonde girl holding the child against her hip and a taller brunette man. Derek looked him over and committed him to memory. He never could've imagined a human could look _that_ gorgeous, let alone be right in front of him. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a purple button up, sweater, and a skinny tie, and the outfit was finished with a pair of Converse. He wasn't the kind of guy Derek usually went after, but he was definitely interested. But, of course, as usual, all of the good ones were either straight, taken, or both. Penelope could see Derek tuned out of the conversation, so she smirked, shaking her head.

"Hey, Jayje, is it 'take Henry to work' day?" she asked, tapping her nails against the counter.

The blonde tucked her hair behind her ear. "No, it's 'Will had to work so I need to drop him off at daycare' day." She pointed to Spencer. "And 'drop off the neighbor at school because his car's in the shop yet again' day."

"Ooh, always fun." She turned to the man. "Spencer, I haven't seen you since Henry's birthday party. Been busy with school?"

He nodded. "Trying to finish up my coursework this semester. Your coffee shop is about to be my lifeline."

She laughed softly. "Can't wait, it should be fun." She took out her Sharpie, taking off the cap. "JJ, the usual tall Iced Coffee with cream and sugar, a chocolate milk for the little one…" she turned to Spencer. "And for you?"

He scanned the menu. "Venti White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream?"

"You've got a sweet tooth, don't you, Mr. Reid?" she teased, writing it down on the cup.

JJ laughed. "Oh, that's an understatement. He puts away about four cups a day, so he'll probably be the reason you guys stay open."

"Looking forward to it." She nudged Derek, waving the cup in front of his face and whistling. "Order in."

He straightened up, taking the cup and clearing his throat. "Sorry, one white chocolate mocha with whipped?"

Spencer nodded. "Please."

He walked to the back, humming to himself and making the drink while Penelope made the other. He turned back to him. "Chocolate drizzle on top?"

"Ooh yes, please," he said, before ducking from JJ ruffling his hair.

"So I'm guessing for your birthday I'm going to need to buy you a new set of teeth?"

He mock laughed as Derek put the lid on the drink, holding it out to him. He gave Derek a smile. "Thank you," he said, taking a cautionary sip and smirking, taking out his wallet. "I've got these."

"Well, Mr. 'I got a full boat scholarship to finish school', I was hoping you would. Not to mention your godson's getting thirsty and wants his chocolate milk." She turned to him. "Right, Henry?"

The little boy nodded, watching as his mother put the straw in and handed it to him.

Spencer shook his head as Derek rang him up.

"Venti White Chocolate Mocha, Tall Iced Coffee, and a chocolate milk…"

Spencer held out his card. "I don't even _want_ to know. Coffee is a 'charge now, worry later' sort of thing."

Derek chuckled. "Sure thing." He took the card, swiping it and handing it back to him, along with his receipt. "Have a great day," he said, flashing him a smile.

Spencer nodded, taking JJ's drink off the counter and holding up his hand to wave at Penelope before following JJ out to her car.

Derek cleared his throat, motioning toward the door. "Who was that?"

"Oh, JJ? We were college roommates. We were practically inseparable. We took all the same classes, went to all of the same extracurriculars, then when we decided on separate areas of study. Despite that, we spent every moment we could together. I actually set her up with her husband, because I saw him in my Sociology class and figured they were _perfect_-"

He raised an eyebrow. "Really, you think those two belong together?"

"Her and _Spencer_?" She scoffed. "Please, he's practically her little brother! She and Will have been together for years and she just had Henry a couple of years ago. Spencer was a few years behind us, but JJ always protected him."

He clicked his tongue. "So, this Spencer guy, what do you know about him?"

She shrugged, tapping her nails against the counter. "He's working on his second or third degree right now and he's some sort of super genius because he has a full ride. He's known JJ for years: they grew up in the same neighborhood and he seemed to have a target on his back for getting his ass kicked, but she always came to his rescue. She obviously knows him well enough to make him godfather of Henry, and he's just an all around good guy from what I've seen."

He crossed his arms, nodding. "Interesting."

She raised an eyebrow. "_Interesting_? You've never cared about someone I know coming into the coffee shop before, let alone demanded an unauthorized biography of them. Why would it matter now-" she paused, smirking. "_Oh_!"

"Oh what?" he asked, confused.

"Oh you are so totally _interested_!" He rolled his eyes and she shook her head. "Nuh uh, there's no pulling anything over on me. You _like_ him."

"And so what if I did?"

She shrugged. "I'd say 'good luck', because that boy cares about two things: his studies, and his godson." She eyed the door and groaned. "Mr. Uptight's here, and it looks like he's bringing the crowd with him. This isn't over."

If there was one thing Derek Morgan was always up for, it was a challenge, and apparently, getting Spencer to talk to him was going to be a big challenge.

* * *

"So, my venti mocha has a little something for a white chocolate mocha," Penelope teased, sticking her Sharpie in her apron and wiping down the counter.

He gave her a look. "My little vanilla bean frappucino better mind her business."

"Really, that's the best you've got?" She pointed to the menu board. "The possibilities are endless and you go with the basic? I'm hurt."

He shook his head. "Well, someone didn't bother doing an introduction, even if I were interested."

"And how was I supposed to do that with you blankly staring into space like an idiot?"

"Come on, I was not that bad."

She gave him a look. "It took me waving his cup in your face to snap you out of it. And me giving you the cup was kinda my way of saying 'hey, here's this cute guy, hit on him'."

"You still could've introduced us!" he argued.

"Yeah, right. 'Hi, kid I know from a few social outings and godparently duties, who also happens to be my best friend's neighbor, this is my delicious coworker whose pants just got remarkably tighter at the sight of you'. That would've gone over really well."

"It's better than nothing."

"Sorry, you're just going to have to win him over the old fashioned way."

He crossed his arms. "Oh, and how's that?"

She shrugged. "You're adorable and seem to have a brain. I'm sure you can figure it out just fine."

He scoffed. "It's not like he's going to come in every day-"

She wagged her finger. "Nope, that's where you're wrong. While you were off in Derek's dreamland, he was telling me that he's practically going to live here with all of the classes he's taken on this semester. Considering his workload is going to be insane, I imagine he has classes every day, and JJ mentioned he has several cups of coffee a day. Are you catching my drift?"

He smiled slightly. "I think I am. You do realize you need to help me out and send him to my register, right?"

"That depends, are you _actually_ going to be there, or are you going to be staring longingly into space like this?" she asked, imitating him.

He mock laughed, restocking the cups and shaking his head. He couldn't remember ever falling this fast with somebody when he had barely said a word to them. Sure, he'd been with people a few dates and they hooked up, but he had never felt this instant attraction before. He had no clue if Spencer would even be interested in him, or if he was even gay, but there was only one way to find out.

* * *

Derek wasn't expecting Spencer to come back so soon: he ended up walking in later that morning.

Garcia nudged him, smirking. "All yours. It's about time I get to see Derek Morgan putting the moves on someone, you know, other than me."

He rolled his eyes, tightening his apron and looking at him. Since this morning, he'd added glasses to his look, and if there was one thing Derek was a sucker for, it was a pair of glasses.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "...Hello."

Derek cleared his throat, straightening up, which caused Penelope to giggle. "Sorry about that, what can I get you, a venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle?"

Spencer stared at him. "That's my order exactly. You must have a _really_ good memory."

"Something like that," Penelope said, giving him a smile. "Classes going well?"

He nodded, biting his lip. "Well, sort of. I may have corrected my first professor of the day? It's possible I'll be switching classes."

"...Okay, scale of 1-10, how bad was it?"

He thought about it. "_Probably_ an eight."

She exhaled. "Ouch, good luck with the recovery."

"I'm going to need it." He took the cup from Derek, taking a sip. "...Does this have chocolate shavings on top?"

"I overheard about your bad morning and figured you could use the kick."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "For future reference, when a customer wants something on their drink, they'll let you know, and eavesdropping on someone's conversation is rather rude."

"...I'm sorry."

Spencer held out his card to him. "Add in a cake pop and I'll get over it."

Penelope smirked, taking one out of the case and putting it in a bag, holding it out to him. Meanwhile, Derek swiped his card and ripped off his receipt, handing it to him. "Have a good one."

"Thanks," he said, tucking his card back into his wallet, turning to Penelope. "See you again soon."

"Can't wait."

He tucked the bag into his messenger bag, sipping his drink and walking out.

Penelope chuckled, turning to him. "So, that's the Derek Morgan charm, pissing him off?"

He shook his head. "Obviously, I'm off my game today."

"That's an understatement."

"I'll get at least a smile out of him tomorrow."

"Oh, believe me, I'm looking forward to seeing this happen. If you don't get a date, at least I get entertainment."

He mock laughed, rolling his eyes and leaning against the counter.

* * *

The next few times Spencer came into the shop, Derek had been too busy with the morning rush to talk to him, and by the time the crowd had died down, Spencer left for class.

Penelope checked her watch, clicking her tongue.

"Yes?" Derek asked, restocking the bakery items and closing the doors.

She pointed to her watch. "Your little crush's class is about to let out, which means he'll be here in ten minutes. Any idea what you're going to do?"

He shrugged, pulling off his rubber gloves and throwing them away. "No idea. What do you suggest?"

"I don't know, I've heard all of these stories about the great Derek Morgan being the world's greatest flirt, and I've seen you strike out _every single time_ you try to put the moves on him. Where's your game, and on top of that, _how_ are you still pursuing him?"

"I'm interested. I don't know what it is, but I like him. I can't explain it."

She smirked. "Oh you are so totally smitten. I wish you luck, darling, because he's the king of tunnel vision. If it doesn't involve his studies, he doesn't realize it exists."

He held up crossed fingers. "I can only go up from where I am, right?"

She chuckled. "We'll see."

Just as Penelope had predicted, Spencer walked in a few minutes later with a few of his books in hand. He walked up to the counter, setting down his books and clearing his throat.

Derek picked up a cup. "Venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and chocolate, _no_ chocolate shavings?"

Spencer nodded, reaching in his pocket and taking out his wallet.

"Name?" Derek asked, pointing to the cup.

"Oh, um, Spencer," he said, setting his credit card on the counter and adjusting his glasses.

Derek wrote his name on the cup and made his drink, motioning toward his textbooks. "Classes going okay?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "It's school, nothing overly exciting to most."

Penelope moved his textbooks to read them. "Never thought you'd be the Art History type."

"I'm not, it's my last elective. It was between that and Philosophy, and considering that experience didn't go well…"

"...What did you do, dare I ask?"

"Corrected my professor a time or twenty per day. He hated my guts as much as I disliked his one-sided thinking, but he still had to pass me with an A because I did the coursework to his liking."

"Please tell me you got revenge via your teacher evaluation?"

He nodded. "Definitely. Pretty much everyone disliked him."

Derek cleared his throat, handing the cup to him. "Here you go, Spencer. Anything else?"

He thought to himself before shaking his head. "JJ told me if I eat all of my meals here, she'd hide my credit card, and part of me believes her."

Derek smiled, swiping his card and handing it to him, along with his receipt. "Have a great day, Spencer."

"You too." Spencer looked at him, confused, before moving to check his nametag. "Derek." He turned to Penelope. "I'll see you tomorrow for JJ's monthly godparent guilt trip babysitting?"

"You bet."

Once Spencer left, Penelope turned to him. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You wanted his name for the cup and referred to him by his first name. I know that's the 'proper' way to greet guests and if the manager would here, he'd love you for kissing so much ass, but we don't _do_ that, like ever."

"He had to get my name somehow, right?" he asked, motioning toward his nametag. "And you told me his genius brain remembers pretty much everything he reads."

She shook her head, laughing softly. "You're _such_ an idiot."

"I may be an idiot, but at least he knows me by name now and not just 'that guy who works with Penelope'."

"_Please_ let me tell JJ about this so she can plant it in his head to take a hint and date you?"

"Definitely not." When she looked ready to object, he put up his hand. "Don't. This isn't her business, and it's only your business because you're always here."

She put out her lip, pouting. "Fine. But when you two are together, I promise, I'm giving you a pet name."

"And I'm sure it'll be interesting."

He saw her lean against the counter, thinking to herself, and knew the process of finding a pet name had already begun. Shaking his head, he tried to think of just how he was going to get the attention of someone with the worst case of tunnel vision he'd ever seen.


	2. Warming

**Author's Note:** I had a few people asking about updates, so I just figured I'd let you know that the game plan is to update it once every couple of weeks, if time allows me to write. Enjoy!

* * *

Monday morning, Derek was opening with Penelope again. He unlocked the front door and walked to the register, logging in.

"Do you know his schedule yet?" Penelope asked, picking a pink Sharpie out of her apron and sticking it in her shirt pocket.

He shook his head. "That's why I have you around, darling."

She counted off his visit times, putting up a finger for each one. "If JJ drops him off, he'll be here in 20 minutes. If he drives himself, he'll be here after his first class at 9:30. His next class lets out at 11:30, so he'll be here around 11:45. Then his last class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday gets out at 1:30, so he'll be here 1:45 until he gets his homework done, because he prefers the coffee shop environment to the library." When he gave her a look, she shrugged. "What? Henry went down early and we got to talking."

"...Did you talk about anything else?"

"By anything else, do you mean six foot something delicious baristas? Because if you do, the answer is no." She paused, holding up a finger. "Though you _did_ come up in a conversation."

He raised an eyebrow. "...Did you bring me up, or did he?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She looked over at him and groaned. "You are _not_ puppy-eyeing me right now."

"You bet your ass I am."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up. _I_ mentioned you casually in one of our conversations."

"...And did he respond, or-"

"Sorry, handsome. I just got a 'Derek, he's the one who put the chocolate shavings on my white chocolate mocha, right?' followed by a 'while enjoyable, I didn't ask for it' and a 'does he always eavesdrop on your conversations and act so nosy?'."

"Okay, so I obviously made a pretty crappy impression on him… any advice?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, just… don't be an ass, I guess."

"Right to the point." He nodded. "Consider it done."

* * *

Spencer came in just as Penelope had said, right after his first class. He came up to the counter while Penelope was with another customer, so he turned to Derek.

"Hey, Spencer. Venti white chocolate mocha with whipped and chocolate drizzle?"

Spencer nodded and Derek picked up the cup, writing his drink on it before making it. While he was putting on the whipped cream, he picked up the cup again, writing something else. Once he was done, he put on the drizzle and fastened the lid, walking over and holding it out to him. "Anything else?"

He eyed the case, chewing his cheek and thinking to himself. "I'll take a coffee cake, please."

He reached in, grabbing one with a piece of tissue paper and putting it into a bag, holding it out to him. Spencer held out his credit card and Derek took it, swiping.

Penelope finished up with her customer and turned to Spencer. "Having a good Monday?"

He shrugged, putting his credit card back into his wallet. "Professors seem to forget the fact that we actually want to have some sort of life outside of school. It's a few weeks in and I already have three projects and four papers due."

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew. I wish you luck, young genius."

He held up his coffee cup. "Here's hoping this helps."

She held up crossed fingers. "Godspeed."

He gave a slight wave. "Penelope, Derek," he said, addressing each of them before heading out to his next class.

Once he left, Penelope backhanded Derek in the arm. "Are you insane!?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh no, you don't get to play innocent here."

He grabbed a rag, wiping down the counter. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, so that wasn't your phone number written on the side of his cup, right under his name?"

He paused. "Okay, so I might know what you're talking about."

"Could you _be_ anymore desperate for him to talk to you about something that isn't his coffee order or awkward barista small talk!" she snapped. "My advice to you was to _not_ be an ass, and that was a pretty ass-y thing to do."

"His impression of me can only go up from where I have it, so I figured I had nothing to lose."

She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Men."

Later on, Derek's phone started ringing and he dug it out of his pocket. Seeing a number he didn't recognize, he turned the phone to Penelope. "Any idea who this is?"

She read the number before her eyes widened. "...That's Spencer."

He smirked, putting up a finger and walking to the back room, closing the door behind him and answering. "Hello?"

There was a pause before Spencer spoke. "...Derek?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's um, Spencer, your thrice-daily venti white chocolate mocha with whip and chocolate drizzle. This is going to sound odd, but I found this number written on the side of my coffee cup-"

He smiled. "Really? That _is_ odd."

"Yeah, I think you should really be looking out where you're putting your phone number, Derek, you don't want it getting into the wrong hands."

Derek blinked a few times before swallowing. "...Yeah, I guess I do."

"I should get going to class." Spencer hung up and Derek sighed, walking back out and tucking the phone into his pocket.

"So how'd it go?" Penelope asked.

He gripped the counter. "You could've told me he doesn't catch on to the blatantly obvious."

She laughed softly. "Then what fun would this whole escapade be for me? How bad was it?"

"'I should really be looking out where I'm putting my phone number, I don't want it getting into the wrong hands'," he recited.

She bit her lip to hold back another laugh before patting him on the shoulder. "Oh, sweetness, I'm so sorry. Now my advice? Don't be an ass, _and_ don't be an idiot."

"Consider it received." He sighed, and once Penelope wasn't looking, took out his phone and saved Spencer as a contact.

* * *

Derek decided to wait a few days before he tried to talk to Spencer again, mainly because Penelope was still mocking him for the 'phone number on the cup' trick he tried and failed. This gave him time to think about what he was going to do next. He tried not charging Spencer for his drink, but with his genius brain, he immediately figured it out and walked right back to the counter, handing Derek his credit card and insisting that he charge him for the drink. Not knowing what else to do, Derek apologized and charged him, though only for a smaller drink for the 'inconvenience'. He wore a shirt that he assumed was Spencer's favorite color, because he always came in wearing the color purple. Spencer barely even looked up at him during the transaction and this method proved to be absolutely pointless. He tried a few classic pick-up lines on him, but every last one of them fell on deaf ears.

It was obvious to him that Spencer didn't take to flirting well, or he didn't understand it, which meant any of his traditional ways to get a date were out the window. He also knew he couldn't do anything too outrageous, because he'd probably scare Spencer away, and that's the last thing he wanted to do. When it finally came to him, he couldn't believe how long it took his brain to figure out.

* * *

Spencer was sitting in a corner, his laptop plugged in and several books in front of him on the table, along with a notebook he was using to take all of his notes. Derek noticed that when he got stuck or before he'd look for an answer, he'd toy with his glasses and spin his now-empty cup around until he would remember what he wanted, and in his 'a-ha!' moment, he'd slam the cup down and apologetically look around before writing. He rarely referred to his laptop and seemed to be most comfortable with his notes and textbooks.

Penelope elbowed him in the side. "I can _hear_ you thinking about him over at my register. Will you just _do_ something already?"

He wrung his hands. "Maybe, I don't know. Just need to break the ice."

She set a cup in front of him. "I _accidentally_ made a venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, and I'd hate for it to go to waste."

He gave her a smile, picking it up. "You are a _goddess_, woman."

"Tell me something I don't know." She winked and nudged him. "Go."

"Are you all set up here, or-"

She moved her hands to shoo him away. "I've got it. Go."

He walked over to Spencer's table, setting the cup beside Spencer's hand.

Spencer paused, putting down his pen and looking at the cup, before glancing up at Derek. "...I didn't order this."

"No, but Penelope thought you could use a little something to distract you because you're working your ass off over here."

He smiled slightly, taking a sip and setting it down. "Thank you. Could I ask you something?"

He gripped the back of the chair across from Spencer. "Sure."

"...Are you on a break right now?"

He motioned toward the mostly empty shop. "Pretty much. Why, what's up?"

"I really hate to ask, but I could really use someone reading over this essay and telling me if it makes sense or if I should start over from my opening paragraph. Whoever told professors that an essay should count as 20% of a grade is really on my bad side right now."

"Okay, maybe caffeine was a bad choice for you," Derek joked, but when he saw no reaction from Spencer, shook his head and sat down across from him. "Let me see it."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before clicking his pen and picking up his notebook, going back several pages and holding it out to Derek. "It's just a first draft, so if there are any problems, don't feel bad pointing them out."

"I'm sure it's fine." He leaned back in his chair, reading every single word and taking in every last bit of information, so he could give his full attention to this for him.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that Derek set down the notebook, running a hand over his scalp. "Oh, wow."

Spencer winced slightly. "I can take it."

Derek shook his head. "No, kid, there's nothing to take. That draft is legitimately perfect. I couldn't find an error, a misspelling, or even a comma out of place."

Spencer gave him a small smile, picking up the notebook. "It's not done. I need to work on the final paragraph, then type it up and e-mail it to my professor."

"Seriously, all you need to do is finish that closing paragraph and type it, because it's perfect."

"Thank you," Spencer said, blushing slightly. "That means a lot."

"Stressing over your full-boat?" Derek asked, leaning forward.

Spencer chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"

Derek laughed softly. "Only because I was just as bad. I had an athletic scholarship and had to keep my GPA up to stay on the football team, so while all my buddies were partying and joining fraternities, I was in my dorm, working my ass off to get everything done. And let me tell you, I wasn't even half as smart as you are, so I needed to devote as much time as possible to it."

"I'm sure you weren't that bad..."

"You'd be surprised. Though I worked hard, I was a serial procrastinator and would only stress myself out more. I actually ended up faking injuries in practices so I could go to the library and finish studying."

Spencer chewed on his cheek. "So, you were a jock? Or are you still in sports?"

He clicked his tongue. "Afraid not. I ended up blowing out my knee in the big game senior year. Luckily, they pitied me and let me keep my scholarship."

"I'm sorry…"

He shrugged. "What fun would the NFL have been? Millions of dollars, endorsement deals, fame… it's overrated."

Spencer smirked. "Oh yes, I'm sure you would've definitely hated it and much prefer the life of a barista," he said, before turning his attention to the computer.

During an awkward silence, Derek turned around to face Penelope at the counter, and she groaned, mouthing _Do it_!

He cleared his throat. "So, Spencer…"

He raised an eyebrow, looking away from his laptop and fixing his glasses. "...Yes?"

Chewing on his cheek and wringing his hands, he tried to think of the right way to phrase it. "Are you up to anything this weekend?"

Spencer motioned toward the textbooks in front of him. "This and _every_ weekend."

"Homework all weekend... how many classes are you taking? Isn't four considered full-time?"

Spencer nodded. "It is, but I'm taking six, hoping I can graduate early."

He exhaled. "That's ambitious."

He shrugged slightly. "It keeps me busy." He looked up at Derek, confused. "Wait...why did you ask what I'm doing this weekend?"

Derek paused. "Well, I just figured, you know, the two of us could make some plans, get to know each other a little better."

"You're my barista, why would I need to know you better?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

"...Derek, are you alright? Do you need an aspirin? I have a few in my bag." He reached over, picking up his bag and opening it, digging through.

He shook his head, clearing his throat. "No, I just… I thought that maybe we could go out some time, just the two of us." He chanced a look at Spencer. "Maybe a movie or dinner or something?"

Spencer seemed to think about it. "...Can I ask you something without you judging me?"

"Sure?"

He straightened up, biting his lip, before lowering his voice. "Are you asking me out on a _date_?"

Trying to avoid the surprise in Spencer's voice, he nodded, sighing. "And obviously, it's not going very well."

"Listen, Derek," Spencer started, tapping his fingers on the table.

Derek winced, bracing himself for a rejection.

"I'm sure you're a _really_ nice guy and a pleasure to date, but-"

"Just to venture a guess, I'm not your type?"

Spencer scoffed. "...Are you kidding? I'm surprised I'm _your_ type. Now, could I finish?"

Derek put up his hands. "Sorry, go on."

He exhaled, motioning toward his textbooks. "I have a _lot_ on my plate right now and I really don't think I can juggle dating on top of everything I need to do for school. I'd be happy to reconsider your offer after the semester's over."

Derek sighed, feeling defeated. He licked his lips and nodded at Spencer. "It was good talking to you. Good luck with your work." He got up, pushing his chair in, before turning around and walking back behind the counter.

Penelope nudged him. "So, how did it go?"

He gave her a thumbs down and stuck his tongue out.

"Oh come on, it couldn't be that bad."

"I talked to him, we got along, I didn't make an ass of myself, I eventually got right to the point… and I was met with a big, fat rejection."

She gasped. "No!"

He nodded. "Yep," he said, popping the 'p' and leaning back, groaning. "God, I'm an _idiot_."

She sighed, squeezing his shoulder. "On the brightside, you have another three hours of working with me?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, at least I have that."

Not long after, Spencer packed up his books into his bag, followed by his laptop. He put his bag over his shoulder and threw away his cup.

Derek saw him walking toward the counter and turned to Penelope. "...I'm going to go count inventory or something. I can _not_ do more embarrassment today."

"Come on, he's probably just saying bye..." she tried to reason.

"I gotta go," he said quickly before he turned around, walking to the back room and closing the door, burying his head in his hands.

Penelope walked back a few minutes later, pulling at his arm. "Derek, he wants to talk to you."

"...What?"

She nodded, motioning toward the counter. "He said he wants to talk to you before he leaves. Are you really going to make him wait?"

He sighed, shaking his head and walking out, Penelope close behind him.

"Penelope, could we have a minute?" Spencer asked, gripping the strap of his bag and chewing on his cheek.

She nodded. "Of course. I'll go finish the counts Derek started," she said, winking at Derek before patting his shoulder and walking out.

"Another coffee?" Derek asked, stepping toward the register.

Spencer shook his head. "Anymore and I'm pretty sure I won't be sleeping tonight _or_ tomorrow. I actually wanted to ask you something, if that's alright."

"...Okay."

He cleared his throat, looking down at his feet and sighing before looking up at Derek. "I was thinking about what you said earlier, you know, your proposal for us to have plans, or if you'd prefer to call it, a 'date'."

"I know I was way out of line asking you, and I'm sorry."

Spencer shook his head again. "You weren't, but I have a lot to do and can't put my focus on multiple things."

"...So you said."

Spencer bit his lip. "But I would like to go out with you… with a certain condition, if that's okay."

Derek lit up. "...I'm listening."

"I need you to accommodate my schedule." He reached in his pocket, taking out a folded piece of notebook paper and handing it to him. "Those are my classes and study times."

Derek eyed the piece of paper before shaking his head, handing it back to him. "I would much rather you choose the time and place, that way I'm not stepping on your toes or trying to squeeze my way into your life."

He paused for a second before nodding, taking the paper and stuffing it into his pocket. "So it's okay with you?"

"It's more than okay with me."

Spencer smiled at him, reaching for a napkin and holding it out to Derek. "I'm going to need your phone number."

"Lose the coffee cup?" Derek joked, taking out his Sharpie and writing it down, handing it to him.

"Yes, oddly enough, I threw it away when I was done." He read the number and tucked the napkin into his pocket. "I'll be in touch."

"I'll be waiting."

Spencer blushed again, waving to Penelope as she walked out, and he took his car keys out of his pocket, walking out to the parking lot.

She turned to Derek. "And what was that?"

"_That_ was Spencer Reid agreeing to date me."

She smirked. "And once again, the Derek Morgan charm reigns supreme. Let me guess, my advice _worked_?"

"It helped a _bit_."

She scoffed. "Yeah, a _bit_ my ass. You're welcome."


	3. Exhibition

From that point on, it was a waiting game for Derek. When Spencer came in, he didn't want to pressure him into anything and scare him away, so he just had to act like it was the farthest thing from his mind. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't hiding it very well, and Penelope liked to poke fun at the fact that he was waiting for a guy to call him, instead of him being the one to do the calling.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, putting the milk away. "Us going out together completely depends on _his_ schedule. He knows mine, I don't know his. His school work needs to come first, and I respect that."

"Do you really?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Having been in his shoes, yes, I do really." He walked past her to grab a sleeve of lids, restocking them.

"... Let's say it takes him a month, maybe even two, to come to you with plans. You're really going to be okay with that?"

He shrugged. "If that's what it takes, then yes."

"Oh boy, do you have it bad. What would Momma Morgan say if she saw her baby this lovesick?"

"...She'd probably be taking your approach and telling me to just ask him out, despite what he wants from the situation, but then when she meets him and sees the kind of person he is, would reprimand me for pushing him into it."

She giggled. "I already love your mom and I haven't even met her yet."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm glad you like her."

She pointed to the apron around his waist. "...Is your phone on full blast _and_ in your apron right now?"

"Why, are you going to write me up?" he asked.

She shook her head, scoffing. "As if. Just curious if you're that level of desperate yet."

He took out his phone, showing it to her. "Just vibrate. And before you go there, no innuendos."

She frowned. "Spoilsport."

* * *

It wasn't until the next weekend, when Derek was sitting at home with Clooney, that his phone started ringing. Hoping it wasn't his mother or Penelope, he dug it out of his pocket and checked the screen. Seeing Spencer's phone number on the display, he smiled to himself, answering.

"Hello?" he said, leaning back on the couch and running his fingers through Clooney's fur.

"Derek?"

"Yeah, who's this?" he asked.

"Sorry, I suppose I should've started with that. It's Spencer, from the coffee shop? You um, you said I could call you when I wasn't too busy with schoolwork. Is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all. What's up, kid?"

He cleared his throat. "I was wondering if I could, well, if we could possibly meet up tonight?"

He checked the time on his cable box. "Yeah, sure, what time?"

"Well, I have to go to the art museum for their night time exhibit and take notes for my Art History course. I know, it's schoolwork and it's probably not what you want to do with your Saturday night, but I need to get this assignment done and I figure maybe we can grab something to eat after I finish? If it's not something you want to do, I understand completely and I won't be offended, and I can just wait to ask you to do something again when it doesn't have to do with my coursework?"

He smiled to himself, finding his rambling cute. "I'm okay with that. What kind of exhibit are we talking here?"

"I'm not sure you'll find it too entertaining, not to say that you have no interest in the arts, but even I find it to be a bit dull. It's all Impressionism, so there's going to be a lot of Monet, Degas, and Renoir. Admission is free on Saturday nights, so it won't cost you anything."

Derek clicked his tongue. "I think I could do that. Do you want me to meet at your place, at the museum, or what?"

"I actually, I didn't think of that." He paused for a minute, Derek assumed to think it over. "Can you meet me at the art museum, maybe around 5:00?"

"Yeah, no problem. Should I bring anything?"

"I didn't think about that either," he cleared his throat before speaking again. "I'm just going to be taking notes for class, so I'll be bringing my bag and a notebook, so… just bring yourself, I guess?"

He laughed softly. "Sounds great, I'll see you then."

"Yeah, see you then."

Spencer hung up and Derek smirked, calling Penelope.

"I swear to God, Derek, if you're calling me to pick up a shift while it's ladies' night at the bar-"

"Definitely not, sweetness, but I _did_ just get a phone call."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do continue."

"From a certain patron of our fine work establishment."

"...Did his name happen to be Spencer Reid?"

He smirked. "It did, and he asked me out on a date tonight."

"Seriously?! Like, seriously. He's _actually_ going out with you?"

"...You sound surprised. Did you think it would never happen?"

"No, it's just… wow. _How_?"

He shrugged. "He has to do an assignment for school at the museum, then we're going out to dinner. I think that qualifies as 'going out', don't you?"

"Oh yes, indeed. And I need to grab JJ tonight, because she owes me twenty bucks and a drink."

"...And why would Spencer's neighbor owe you when you _haven't_ talked about this to anyone but me?"

She sighed. "I may have kind of made a bet with her about Spencer getting a date this semester?"

"...You did this knowing that I was going to ask him out?"

"...No, we made this bet after the first time you met him. I didn't know you'd actually get a date with him… I just sort of hoped you would." She cleared her throat. "So… are you going to give me details Monday morning at work?"

"Maybe. We'll see, just don't go making anymore bets or sharing any details, got it?"

She groaned loudly. "Fine! Though I can't be held responsible for what Drunk Penelope says tonight."

"Drunk Penelope had better have a little bit of censorship if Sober Penelope wants to know _anything_."

"Fine!" she snapped again.

"I'll see you first thing Monday morning."

"See you then, loverboy."

He shook his head, hanging up and checking the time again, realizing he had enough time to shower, get dressed, and be early to the museum. Knowing this was the best option, he patted Clooney a few times before getting up, walking toward his bedroom.

* * *

Derek stood outside of the museum, his hands in his pockets, pacing. He couldn't remember ever being _this_ nervous for a date before, and couldn't imagine _why_ it was this stressful for him. He thought it could possibly be the fact that he didn't make the plans, or maybe that he _really_ liked Spencer and didn't know how to express it without scaring him away. The only thing he was certain of was that he wouldn't be stood up, because Spencer needed to do this for his schoolwork, and that obviously always came first to him.

When he saw Spencer approaching, he stood up straight, taking his hands out of his pockets and crossing his arms.

Spencer walked up to him, fixing his glasses. "Sorry, the buses were running late."

"...If you needed a ride, I could've picked you up?" Derek offered. "I'm sure you weren't too far out of the way and I wouldn't have minded."

He shook his head. "It's fine, I'm used to it." He adjusted the strap on his bag, clearing his throat and motioning toward the museum. "Shall we?"

"Sure thing." He felt a buzz in his pocket and checked his phone to see a message from Penelope.

_According to JJ, he hasn't been on a whole lot of dates, be careful with him please!_

He rolled his eyes, responding.

_Don't worry, sweetness. I'll be good._

Tucking his phone in his pocket, he turned to Spencer. "Sorry. Ready?"

Spencer nodded, walking inside, Derek close behind.

"I think the exhibit is on the third floor and to the left," Spencer said, walking toward the stairs.

Derek pointed to the elevators to their right. "...You do realize we can just take one of those up?"

"Considering there are several thousand elevator related injuries reported every year, as well as some deaths, I feel safer taking the stairs. If you'd like I can give you the numbers, but if you really want to take the elevator, I can meet you up there?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind, stairs it is." He followed Spencer over, taking the steps slowly. "So, do you do a lot of morbid research, or are you just one of those 'I know a lot of things' guys?" he asked.

Spencer smiled slightly. "I'm one of those 'I know a lot of things' guys," he confirmed. "Considering I've retained everything I've ever read and my fast reading speed, it's no surprise I know so much." He turned to Derek. "Turn-off?"

"More like endearing," Derek assured him, giving him a smile. "So you remember _everything_?"

"Pretty much. I could recite your entire menu board right now without even having to think about it, as well as the specials you've written on the chalkboard stand outside every day, despite the fact I've only ever ordered the one kind of drink."

He raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Wow. So, when are you going to break out of the sugar coma and order a regular drink, since you know everything?"

"When the semester slows down and I don't need it to keep me alert."

"...So once the semester's over?"

"Pretty much."

"Come on, not even _one_ little drink swap?"

He thought about it and shrugged. "Okay, maybe switching out _one_ drink a week."

"I'll consider that a victory. So, Art History?"

"It was an elective that wasn't going to bore me to tears. I tried other electives, finished all of the coursework, and just sat in the classrooms bored for the rest of the semester. I'd have to explain to my professors that I wasn't a bad student and not being attentive because I didn't care, but because I'd already retained all of the information. Luckily, some of them understood and only had me come in for tests."

"Trust me, I wish I had your skills when I was in school. I worked my ass off and only pulled a B average in most classes, _if_ I was lucky."

Spencer smiled. "It's a gift and a curse." He got up the last stair and started fishing his notebook out of his bag. "I don't know if you're interested, but while I'm taking notes, I could maybe tell you about the artist, based on my knowledge, make it a little more insightful, and once we finish here, we can go out to dinner?"

Derek smiled, nodding. "Sounds great."

* * *

It turned out that Spencer knew more about the artists than the cards the museum provided. Derek would read the basics beforehand, and while taking notes, Spencer was able to tell him the history of the artist, as well as details about their life and how they came to work in that style of painting. He'd occasionally peek over at Spencer's notebook and read his notes, and saw that he was not only analyzing the painting, but going into his own details about them.

"Not to be rude, but you _do_ realize you can just Google the paintings later to look at them and do the analysis, right?"

Spencer shrugged, his eyes still on his notebook as he took notes. "I find this method easier. I remember everything I've ever read, and sometimes, my mind will remember things I've seen, so I can just recall the painting. Besides, the more I write down now, the less I have to type up later."

"So when's the paper due?"

"Next Thursday. Today was the only day admission was free, and being a college student, 'free' is pretty much my favorite price."

Derek laughed softly. "Free is pretty much _everyone's_ favorite price."

"So what were you like in college?" Spencer asked, looking up at the painting one last time before finishing his notes.

"You really want to know?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why else I'd ask?"

He thought about it. "I was pretty much the nerdiest jock on campus. I worked my ass off on the field, and when I wasn't at practice, I was studying or writing my papers or meeting up with a tutor."

"You admitted to needing a tutor?"

"Definitely. I'm not a super genius who can remember everything I've ever read, and I needed a little help. Coach ended up telling me I was the only one to admit I had trouble and needed it to keep my GPA up."

Spencer smiled slightly. "Pretty impressive. I used to tutor in the spare time I had, and let me tell you, I would've killed for an athlete to actually care about their grades."

"I take it that didn't go well?"

"I either ended up being stood up, they came to one meeting and then gave up, or in my high school days, I'd end up with my head in a toilet or in a garbage can."

"...You're kidding me."

He shook his head, clicking his pen. "Jocks haven't improved from the stereotypes in 1980's movies."

"Well, I'm sorry?" Derek offered.

"Why, did you take all of their brain cells so they couldn't come up with an _original_ way to deal with a nerd?"

"No, not exactly-"

"And besides, I'll be getting my revenge when they amount to nothing in life."

He chuckled. "Very nice. Let me guess, they'll amount to nothing, and you'll be making it big?"

"You said it, I didn't." He stuffed his notebook into his bag, turning to Derek. "Ready to go?"

"We're done?"

"I've taken notes on pretty much everything I could to make it a five page paper."

"...But you've only seen three paintings."

"Exactly."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Perfect. Where to?"

Spencer adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat. "Well, I know of a restaurant right off campus we could go to, if you'll take a suggestion? If not, since I controlled the first half of the night, you can pick?"

Derek took his car keys out of his pocket. "Be my GPS and lead the way."

* * *

Spencer ended up leading Derek to a diner, which was just a few blocks away from campus.

He looked out the window, smirking. "Your kind of place, kid?"

He shrugged. "When I can't survive on coffee house food, I come here. It's good food, reasonably priced, and great service. If you'd like to go somewhere else, feel free to drive there, I just thought this would be a good idea."

"Whatever works for you." He took his keys out of the ignition, stuffing them into his pocket before unbuckling himself and getting out. "So is this where you run to when you're not at the coffee house at your regularly scheduled times?"

Spencer laughed softly. "Possibly. Here or attempting to study in the library, but that usually just gets frustrating and I give up and go to the coffee house."

"I can imagine." He walked up to the restaurant and held the door open for Spencer, following him inside.

After placing their orders, they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Spencer, Derek deduced, was more likely than not going over the facts about the museum exhibit in his head and formatting his paper for when he got home and could type it up. Derek, however, was thinking about something Spencer had said earlier.

"...So you have a really good memory?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded. "Eidetic. I remember everything I've ever read."

Derek nodded and thought about it before he clicked his tongue. "Interesting."

"...I believe we already established that?" he said, stirring the straw around in his drink before taking another sip.

Derek shook his head. "Not that."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"

"...You asked for my phone number a couple of weeks ago," Derek pointed out, leaning back and crossing his arms.

Spencer looked at him, confused. "...Yes, I did, so I could call you and make the plans for tonight. Hence why we went to the museum and are now at dinner?"

Derek smirked. "But you remember everything you've ever read."

"...As you said less than a minute ago?"

Derek tapped his fingers on his arm. "If you do, in fact, remember everything you've ever read, you'd remember that I gave you my phone number on that coffee cup, every single digit, especially considering you called me, and more likely than not, read it on your phone anytime you went to your recent calls, and quite possibly saved it to your contacts."

Spencer coughed slightly, clearing his throat and pushing his drink aside. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you asked for my phone number just so you could keep a conversation going with me."

He quickly shook his head. "No, that's not the case at all…"

"Uh huh. I will pay for this meal and your coffee for a _week_ if you can prove to me that contact information wasn't saved the day I wrote my number on that coffee cup," Derek said, leaning forward on his elbows and grinning. "Care to take that bet?"

Spencer chewed on his cheek, before smiling, holding up his phone. "Unfortunately, I don't have a smartphone, so _unfortunately_, you won't be able to check." He clicked his tongue. "How unfortunate."

Derek chuckled. "Yeah, _unfortunate_."

"What about you?" Spencer asked. "Did you save my number in your phone after I called?"

"I'm not the one in the hot seat with the super memory," Derek responded.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "_Right_."

Judging by the smile that followed, Derek could tell he was kidding around, and it felt good to know that he could relieve some of Spencer's stress and get him to loosen up a bit. On their second date, if there ever would be one, Derek would be sure to take him out and let him have some actual fun for a change, not involving schoolwork, because he really liked his smile and wanted to see more of it.

* * *

Derek noticed the slight blush in Spencer's cheeks. "What?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nothing."

"It's flattering that you had my number saved. And besides, you're not alone."

Spencer looked at him, curious. "Excuse me?"

Derek took his phone out of his pocket, looking through and setting his phone in front of Spencer. "I saved your number too."

Spencer leaned over, checking the screen and seeing his name. "So it's not just me?"

"Definitely not. It's been there since you called me."

"...Since I called you this morning?" Spencer asked, pushing the phone back toward him.

"Not quite," he started, tucking the phone back into his pocket. "Since my failed attempt at flirting when I put my number on the coffee cup."

"..._That_ was flirting?"

"I admit, it wasn't my best, but desperation makes a guy resort to _anything_-"

"No, it's not that," Spencer said, clearing his throat, "it's just… I didn't notice." He bit his lip. "With my intelligence, it's all booksmarts… I'm really not, for lack of a better term, real world savvy."

"I'd be happy to introduce you to the real world and how it works," Derek offered.

Spencer smiled slightly. "We'll see how tonight goes."

* * *

After they ate, Derek reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.

Spencer shook his head. "You don't have to pay. I dragged you to the museum, it's the least I could do."

"Don't sweat it, I enjoyed the museum and your way of going about it. Besides, it's just a diner. I don't mind."

"Come on, you didn't _really_ enjoy it-"

"No, I did!" Derek argued. "It was really fun and it was so much better to have you there to explain everything."

Spencer chewed on his cheek, running his credit card through his fingers. "I'll tell you what… we'll make a deal."

"...I'm listening?"

"I'll pay for this meal, and you could pay for the potential next one," Spencer reasoned. "Since I ran the 'date', if it could be called that, it's only fair that I pay."

"If you want to call it 'fair', okay." He tucked his credit card back into his wallet, pointing to Spencer's hand. "Having fun?"

He nodded, handing the card to the waitress when she came over. "Idle hands make me nervous, so I always need to do something with them. It's why I'm always tapping my fingers, and why I took up magic as a kid."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "_Magic_?"

"I know, it's not the most _popular_ thing I could do-"

"No, I actually think that's pretty cool."

Spencer scoffed. "No, you don't."

"I do," Derek insisted as the waitress set the bill and receipts in front of Spencer. "I never had the patience to learn anything like that, I actually find it kind of fascinating."

Spencer signed the receipt, writing down the tip and total before closing it, putting his card back into his wallet. "If you've got a few minutes, you can come back to my place and I can show you a few tricks."

Derek knew that he wasn't used to dating or modern day terminology, but he kept himself from laughing at how that sentence sounded. He took his keys out of his pocket, getting up and pulling his jacket on. "Let's go then."

* * *

Spencer gave Derek turn-by-turn directions to his place, and when they were walking inside, he swore he saw someone, JJ he assumed, peeking through the curtains. Brushing it off, he followed him, walking into his apartment. He took it all in: he actually had a decent sized apartment, considering he was a broke college student. It had a few rooms to it, one of which seemed to include a library or office.

Spencer pulled off his jacket, hanging it up by the door. "Can I get you anything, a drink maybe?"

Derek shook his head. "I'm fine. Nice place."

He shrugged slightly. "It's something. My dad, in an attempt to make up for his abandonment, decided that since I got a full-boat, the least he could do was get me a good place."

"...He thought a good apartment would erase his abandonment?"

"I never said my father was intelligent… or decent." He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "I really don't want to spend the rest of the night talking about him. New subject?"

Derek nodded. "Sure. Magic tricks?" he suggested, sitting on the couch.

Spencer laughed softly. "Come on, you don't really want to see me do magic tricks."

"If I didn't want to, why would I be here?" Derek asked.

Spencer looked at him, to see if he was being genuine. "...And this isn't some sort of joke?"

"Of course not. I _really_ want you to show me a few things."

Spencer stood there for a minute, most likely to gauge his reaction, before putting up a finger. "Just give me a minute." He walked to his room, grabbing a box and walking back out, setting it on the table. "What would you like to see?"

He shrugged. "Anything."

Over the next hour, Spencer showed Derek several of his best tricks, and Derek enjoyed every single one. He saw Spencer getting more and more comfortable with him as he did more of them, and he had to admit, he liked seeing Spencer slowly open up to him. After a while, Spencer checked his watch and saw that it was getting late.

"Want me to get going?" Derek asked, checking his phone and seeing that it was nearly midnight.

"I don't want to seem like I'm kicking you out, but I want to write the paper based on the exhibit while it's still fresh on my mind, and I just-"

Derek shook his head. "No need to explain." He got up, pulling on his jacket. "I'll see you at the shop on Monday?"

"Mhm." Spencer stood up. "I'll show you out." He walked Derek down the hall, chewing on his cheek. "I had a great time tonight," he said, crossing his arms.

"I did too. Good luck writing your paper," Derek told him, reaching in his pocket and taking out his keys. "If you want to talk at all, my phone's going to be on."

He nodded slightly, clearing his throat and waving to Derek. Derek took that as his sign to leave and turned around, opening the door and walking outside.

"...Hey, Derek?" Spencer asked softly.

Derek turned around to face him. "What's up?"

Spencer bit his lip before stepping outside, resting a hand on each of Derek's cheeks and pulling him in for a kiss. Derek leaned in, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist. It wasn't the most perfect first kiss they could've had, but for Spencer initiating, he was going to take it.

Spencer pulled back, biting his lip and looking up at Derek, blushing. "So, I'll see you Monday?"

Derek smiled, nodding. "See you Monday." He leaned in, kissing his cheek, before walking out to his car and getting in, starting it. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out, checking his messages.

_What is this I hear about your night ending at Spencer's place?_

He rolled his eyes, looking over at the window and waving to JJ before starting his car, smirking when she immediately closed the curtain.

_I'll tell you all about it on Monday._

After sending his response, he buckled his seatbelt, driving home.

* * *

Derek woke up the following morning with a grin on his face. The previous night had been a great first date, one of the most personal ones he'd ever been on. He'd done movies and things of the such, but nothing had ever included so much conversation and getting to know one another. He sat up, running a hand over his scalp, before reaching for his phone and checking his messages. There had been one from Spencer last night around 1:30, with a picture of his completed paper, along with a message.

Thanks for joining me tonight, I had a great time.

He smiled to himself, lying back on his bed, and hoping the two of them could have another date sometime soon.


	4. Building Walls & Breaking Them Down

At work on Monday morning, Derek had to divulge every detail of his night with Spencer to Penelope.

"So you went back to his place? I never thought he'd be the type."

He shook his head, tucking his Sharpie behind his ear. "He's not. He was showing me some of his magic tricks."

"...Is that a euphemism for something, or-"

"It means he showed me his magic tricks, literally, for about an hour."

"So _no_ hanky panky?"

He smirked, shaking his head. "Nope, though the night did end with a kiss on his part."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Anything to do with you?"

He shrugged. "I was on my way out, he stopped me, he kissed me, and after that, I told him I'd see him today, kissed his cheek, and went to the car."

"That's rather un-romantic of you."

He shrugged. "I didn't want to move too fast and scare him off. He was obviously nervous about the concept of dating, so I commend him for even doing it."

"Trust me, so do I. I've known him for years and relationships _really_ aren't his thing, mainly because he doesn't know what he's supposed to do." She nudged his arm. "So is anything going to be different today with you two?"

"I don't know, maybe? I just have to beg of you not to make him more nervous than he already is, because I actually _want_ a second date."

She scoffed. "_Fine_, but when the time comes, I'm planning your wedding."

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, sweetness."

* * *

When Spencer finally came in, it was during the rush, so he didn't have time to talk to him. He had gone to Penelope's register, but he thought nothing of it, considering she had a shorter line and they were busy. While they were cleaning up after the morning rush, Penelope leaned against the counter, crossing her arms.

"Was there a date disaster you failed to tell me about?" she asked.

He shook his head, restocking the cups. "Everything went well, and I told you all of it, why?"

She shrugged. "No reason, I just found it interesting that he didn't gravitate to your line."

"You always have less of a line than I do. He was probably in a rush to get to class so he could get a good seat or something."

"If you insist."

Once her back was turned, he took out his phone, texting Spencer.

_Hope you have a good day at school, I'm sure your teacher's going to appreciate your paper being done early._

He tucked his phone back into his pocket, cleaning the counter in front of him.

* * *

Later in the day, Spencer came in after his last class, his bag over his shoulder. He walked over to a table, setting it down on a chair, before walking to the counter, hands in his pockets.

Derek looked up at him, smiling. "Hey, good day?" he asked, reaching for a cup and writing Spencer's order on it.

He shrugged. "My phone went off in my first class. I usually keep notification sounds on because I never get messages, so imagine the look on my professor's face when the Doctor Who theme song started playing in my pocket."

Penelope bit down on her lip to keep from laughing while Derek's eyes widened. "I am _so_ sorry, I didn't even think about it. I just figured since we didn't get to talk yesterday or this morning-"

Spencer put up his hand. "Coffee?"

Penelope held out her hand for his credit card while Derek made his drink. He handed it to him with another apology and watched as he walked back to the table, putting his bag over his shoulder and walking out.

"...I thought you said he stayed until he got his homework done?" Derek asked, turning to her.

"He usually does. Maybe he doesn't have any today and got it done yesterday, hence why you two didn't talk?"

"Maybe? I have never dated somebody this… complex before."

She chuckled. "Welcome to the puzzle that is Spencer Reid. I've yet to solve him."

* * *

It had been a few days of the same thing: when Spencer came in, he would automatically gravitate to Penelope's line, even if Derek had the shorter line and wasn't as busy. When Derek would look over and acknowledge him with a comment, Spencer would just nod and immediately go back to his conversation with Penelope, tuning him out. When he would come in to do his homework, he'd get his drink and just sit at a table, and if Derek approached him, he found an excuse to head out, such as a 'study group' or a 'forgotten notebook', which Derek saw right through, considering he couldn't forget anything even if he tried.

Penelope turned to him, arms crossed. "What the hell did you not tell me about this date?"

"I told you everything!" he defended. "The museum, the dinner, playful flirting, the magic tricks at his apartment, me going to leave, him kissing me, and then I went home. Nothing that's so out of the ordinary that he'd ignore me for four days in a row except for one comment on Monday and some pity 'uh huh's when I asked if his day was going well."

She clicked her tongue. "And he initiated the kiss?"

"He did. He kissed me, he quite obviously meant it, we separated, agreed we'd see each other on Monday, I went home and he wrote his paper. He then sent me a picture of his completed paper later on, and I saw him here Monday mor-" he groaned, tilting his head back. "Oh, damnit."

"You did something wrong, didn't you?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Come on, what is it?"

"I think _maybe_ he might be kind of upset that I didn't message him back on Sunday, and the only time I did text him, it got him in trouble in class? Other than that, I've got nothing."

"That might be it. He's new to the whole 'dating' scene, and if you didn't message him back, he could've taken that _very_ badly." She chewed on her cheek and checked the clock. "You're out of here in 30, right?"

He checked his watch, nodding. "Indeed."

"And it just so happens you worked through your lunch today."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you're getting at…?"

She put up a finger. "Bear with me. If you have yet to take your break, that means you need to clock out for a half hour. Since you're due to leave in a half hour, you could take your break and leave a half hour early. With that time, you could beat tonight's traffic and go check on Spencer and see what it is you did wrong, fix whatever needs to be fixed, and _possibly_ even set up for date number two."

He thought to himself before smirking, untying his apron. "You are a _goddess_, woman," he whispered, kissing her cheek, before going to the back and hanging up his apron, stuffing his things into his pocket. He walked back out, standing in front of the register. "And if he's not here?"

"If he's not here, he's definitely not at the library, because he comes here when the library's too loud. If I had to put money on it? He's holed up in the study in his apartment."

"...He has a study in his apartment and he still chooses to come here?" he asked, pulling on his jacket.

"I think it's for the ambiance of the coffee shop, though I'm sure the attractive barista doesn't hurt." She smirked, nudging his arm. "Go."

"And you're sure-"

"I'm all set here. I want you two to work out, and to do that, you need to fix whatever's going on. Now go."

He smiled appreciatively, taking his keys out of his pocket and walking out.

* * *

While driving to Spencer's apartment, he tried to think about what he needed to do to make things right again with them. None of his past relationships cared when he texted them, so long as he did, but he figured that maybe since Spencer wasn't really savvy to relationships, he might expect different things. He knew that with Spencer, it was going to be about taking baby steps, and he just needed the patience to do so.

He pulled up to Spencer's place, parking, and started on the walkway. Seeing someone in the yard nearby, he paused, turning to her.

"You're JJ, right?" he asked, tucking his keys into his pocket.

She nodded, getting up, wiping her hands off on her pants. "I'm guessing you're Derek?" Derek nodded and she wiped off a few more pieces of dirt and held out her hand. "Sorry, three year old boy with a love of bugs."

He laughed softly. "Don't sweat it." He shook her hand, pointing to Spencer's front door. "Is he home?"

She nodded, adjusting her hair tie. "Just got in a few minutes ago. Said hi to Henry, mumbled something about an essay, and walked inside. It's weird, he told me all about your date the other night, but he hasn't said a word about you or the date since."

He raised an eyebrow. "He told you about that?"

"Yeah," she smirked, "he'd kill me if I told you this, so between us? He had a really great time. Are you here to get him for date number two?"

"Actually, I'm here to get him to open up a little bit. Any advice?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "To deal with Spence? I still haven't figured him out, and I've known him for _years_. The only thing I can think of is the fact that you just need to be upfront with him: he doesn't catch on to subtlety or simple cues. Just put it all out there and he'll be honest with you."

"Noted, thanks. It was great to meet you."

"You too." She gave him a smile and a wave before kneeling back in the dirt, watching her son pick up bugs and worms.

He smirked, shaking his head and walking to Spencer's front door, knocking. He heard some stumbling on the other side of the door, and could only assume that Spencer had tripped over one of the many stacks of books that lined his hallway.

"JJ, I told you I'd come over later tonight, will you stop pestering me?" he snapped, unlocking the door and pulling it open. "...And you're not JJ."

"Sorry, I'm not. Do you mind if we talk?"

Spencer peeked outside and saw that JJ was out with Henry. He sighed, holding the door open. "Inside."

Derek raised an eyebrow but stepped into the apartment, considering it a small victory that Spencer hadn't slammed the door in his face.

"Did I leave something at the coffee shop?" Spencer asked. Derek looked him over and saw that he was in an oversized sweater, one he was pulling his arms into, his glasses, and his hair looked like he had been running his fingers through it.

He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "No, I just figured the two of us could talk. Can I sit?"

Spencer paused for a minute before motioning toward the couch. He walked over, sitting down, motioning for Spencer to do the same. Spencer sighed before nodding, sitting in the chair across from him, pulling his legs up on the cushion. "What brings you here?"

"A question, maybe even a observation, if you will."

Spencer looked at him, confused. "I'm listening."

"Why would two people go on an amazing date on a Saturday night, get along well, laugh at each other's jokes and enjoy each other's company, then just a few short days later, it's as if the other one doesn't exist?"

Spencer exhaled, chewing on his cheek, reaching up and adjusting his glasses. "I told you, Derek. I don't have time for a relationship. My studies come first. They always have and they always will. I'm dependent on my full boat scholarship, much like you were."

"I see, and I understand that completely. What doesn't make sense to me is the fact that you won't even wave a hand or say hello to me in the coffee shop after we had a pretty good date and a pretty great kiss for a first date."

Spencer smiled, blushing slightly at Derek's statement, before licking his lips. "It's complicated."

"Then un-complicate it for me," Derek stated, leaning back. "I've got all of the time in the world."

"I don't."

"Then just give me enough of an explanation that I don't feel like I royally fucked up with you, because I have to say, the cold shoulder isn't exactly telling me 'thanks for joining me while I did my assignment and then going out to dinner, I had a really great time'."

He cleared his throat, straightening up in his seat and staring at his lap for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts, before finally looking up at him. "You're going to think I'm ridiculous, possibly even juvenile."

"I highly doubt that, but I can't make that judgment until you tell me what's going on," Derek reasoned.

He exhaled, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I did have a great time on Saturday night, Derek, and I don't go around kissing people when I don't mean it. It takes a lot for me to let somebody in, and it should speak volumes that I legitimately let you in."

Derek didn't know what else to do, so he nodded his understanding.

"And I scared myself." He pulled his arms into his sleeves, sighing. "I thought maybe you didn't feel the same way I did afterward, and I didn't want to talk to you and feel like I was pressuring you into something. Like I said, it's ridiculous. Obviously you wouldn't be here if you didn't feel some sort of attraction to me as well." He paused, glancing up at Derek. "...Right?"

Derek gave him a small smile, nodding. "Right."

"I figured, very wrongly of course, that if I distanced myself from you, you would see that you weren't interested and were just still focused on Saturday night. I'm sorry." He looked Derek in the eyes, sighing. "I'm really, truly sorry."

Derek shook his head. "Don't sweat it. Believe me, I've done worse."

Spencer scoffed. "No offense meant, but I sincerely doubt that. You have amazing social skills, and I have the social skills of a baked potato."

He laughed softly. "First date ever, I refused to let him come to my house because I was afraid my mom and sisters would scare him away. The next guy I dated? I was so nervous I actually got a date with this guy that I literally got sick all over the front seat of his new convertible."

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "You've actually screwed up first dates, and you're not saying this to make me feel better?"

"No, man, I wish I was lying, and I'm pretty sure Davis wishes I was, because that interior looked like a bitch to clean."

Spencer bit down on his lip, struggling to put his thought process into words. "Hey, Derek?"

"What's up?"

He pulled his arms out of his sweater, fidgeting with his fingers. "If I were to ask you to go out with me again some time, would you accept, or turn me down?"

"That depends on if you ask me," Derek said, smirking.

He groaned. "So it's going to be like that."

"Oh yes it is."

Spencer sighed. "Derek Morgan, will you go out on another date with me some time, if I promise not to be a complete imbecile and actually talk to you afterward so you don't need to leave work early and come to my apartment to talk some sense into me?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "That is the most oddly specific way that somebody has ever asked me out."

Spencer winced. "So is that a no?"

Derek grinned. "That is a 'definitely, just tell me where and when'."

* * *

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Derek cleared his throat. "Were you working on some homework? Should I go?"

Spencer thought it over before shaking his head. "I was actually just doing some light reading," he said, motioning toward the book on the table. "Killing some time before dinner."

Derek glanced at the table. "...You consider _War and Peace_ to be light reading?"

"Well, I have a quick reading speed, so I could finish the entire book in less than an hour."

He blinked a few times before looking back at Spencer. "You can read War and Peace in less than an hour?"

He nodded. "I guess you could say I have a bit of a gift."

"Man, what I would've given for _that_ in college," Derek mumbled, chuckling softly.

"Do you have anything you need to do tonight?" Spencer asked, tucking his legs underneath himself.

Derek thought to himself. "My neighbor already checked on Clooney during the day for me, so I don't need to be home for a few hours."

"...And who's Clooney?" Spencer asked, eyebrow raised.

"He's my dog. Picked him up at a pound when he was just a puppy. He's part pitbull and pretty much the biggest lover on the planet. I have my teenage neighbor stop in a few times a day to check on him, take him for a walk, play with him a bit so he doesn't get lonely." Spencer nodded his understanding before Derek looked at him, curious. "Why do you ask?"

"...Because I wanted to know who Clooney was?"

He shook his head. "Why did you ask if I had anything I needed to do tonight?"

Spencer licked his lips, clearing his throat. "I um, I have some dinner cooking, and I always cook too much, it's really a bad habit, because then I have leftovers and so much of it gets thrown away and it's such a shame when you're throwing away money, and-"

"Spencer?" Derek asked, cutting him off. "Are you inviting me to stay for dinner?"

"...I was trying to, anyway."

Derek laughed softly. "If you're inviting, I'm eating. What are we having?"

"I've been reading a lot of cookbooks lately, so I've been experimenting with different recipes. This is actually a chicken pot pie recipe I've wanted to do for a while, and I made an extra…"

Derek shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later and Spencer rolled his eyes, getting up.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, there's a neighbor who doesn't understand the boundaries of personal space or personal lives," he explained, walking over and opening the door. "Yes, JJ?"

She smirked. "Nice to see you too. Do you happen to have a band-aid? Henry's got one of his 'invisible' boo-boos and is demanding a band-aid for it, and Will's at the store, grabbing them right now."

He looked down at Henry. "Where's the invisible boo-boo?" Derek smiled to himself at the fact that the usual eloquent man was using a word like 'boo-boo'.

Henry held up his elbow, pointing to a spot without a single scratch or bruise. "There."

Spencer inspected it, chewing on his cheek. "I think this calls for a special band-aid. Come on in while I go grab it."

Henry stepped inside, clinging onto his mother's hand while Spencer moved past the piles of books to go to the bathroom and check his cabinet. "Who's he?" he asked, pointing to Derek.

JJ moved his finger. "Henry, it's rude to point." She looked at Derek apologetically, mouthing a sorry to him.

Derek put up his hand. "I've heard worse at the coffee shop, believe me." He walked over, squatting in front of Henry. "It's nice to meet you, little man. I'm Derek."

He blushed, burying his head into his mother's leg. JJ smiled. "Oh, _now_ you're a shy guy?"

Henry pointed to his arm. "You have a boo-boo too?"

Derek looked at the scrape on his arm. "Yeah, I was fixing up something at my house and scratched my arm."

"Uncle Spenner can kiss it better, he's good at that."

JJ cupped a hand over her mouth, holding back a laugh.

Henry looked at Spencer as he walked back. "Uncle Spenner, Derek has a boo-boo too."

"Does he?" He looked where Henry was pointing and smiled. "I guess so. What do you say, Henry, is this a robot fixer-upper, or a Spongebob?"

Henry thought to himself before pointing to the Spongebob. "That one's for me!"

He held out the band-aid to JJ. "Enjoy."

She smiled appreciatively, opening it and putting it on his arm. "Better?"

He nodded. "Much!" He turned to Spencer, waving. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He ruffled his hair, smiling.

JJ looked between the two of them. "I'll leave you two alone. Thanks again, Spence."

He gave her a thumbs up and closed the door after they left.

"You just so happen to keep a stock of kids' band-aids in your home?" Derek asked, getting up.

"I have Henry over a lot and it seemed like a good idea. Now," he held out the band-aid to Derek. "Henry will be _very_ offended if your boo-boo isn't taken care of, and I need to go check on the pot pies."

Derek took it from him, unwrapping it and putting it onto his arm. "How does it look?"

Spencer peeked over from the kitchen. "Positively juvenile."

"Exactly what I was going for."

* * *

"So," Derek asked, poking his fork around his plate. "Is Henry your nephew?"

Spencer shrugged, swallowing the food in his mouth. "Sort of? JJ found out I was an only child when she met me and unofficially made me her little brother, so if we're going by those terms, yes? I'm also his godfather."

"Pretty impressive." He unsuccessfully tried to pick up a pea with his fork before giving up, picking it up with his fingers.

Spencer smiled, motioning toward the band-aid on his arm. "How'd you do that to yourself anyway? Playing with Clooney?"

Derek shook his head, looking at the scrape. "The roughest Clooney gets is when we're playing tug-of-war with one of his toys. That's actually from brushing my arm against a board I hadn't sanded yet."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "So you're a handyman/barista?"

Derek laughed to himself. "Not quite. I went to college and it was a bust, so in my spare time when I'm not at the coffee shop, I buy broken down properties and renovate them. They're kind of my own DIY projects." He shrugged. "It's not reading or cooking, but it's a hobby."

"You actually do that?"

"Yeah, it started out with one property I fixed up, and I just loved it so much that I kept doing it to other places. It's amazing what people will sell a property for when they think it's crap."

"Do you sell them when you're done?" Spencer asked curiously, taking another bite.

"Usually, but I moved into my first one. Something about not being able to let the first one go, if that makes sense."

Spencer nodded. "It makes perfect sense. I think I'd like to see your work sometime."

"Just say the word."

Spencer stayed quiet before glancing at Derek again. "The word."

"Seriously?"

"You _did_ say 'say the word'..."

He smirked. "I guess so. Once we're done here, I'll drive you over."

* * *

While they were in the car, Derek motioned toward the radio. "All yours."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Derek shrugged. "I have to concentrate on the road and we can't always have awkward small talk to fill the voids. Go for it."

Spencer reached over, turning on the radio and going through the stations. He landed on some classical music and turned to Derek. "Would you be offended?"

"Not at all. Into the classics?"

"It's what I was raised on, really. Classical music and Bob Dylan. My mother had a different sort of taste."

Derek chuckled. "Add 'a musical education' to the things I need to teach you."

"I already took a music education course last semester, and received a perfect score."

"Not that kind of teaching. I'm introducing you to new genres. You need to learn how to love everything about music, because let's be honest, anyone who can't quote Illmatic is ignorant."

Spencer shrugged. "Though Illmatic is widely known as his best album, I think I'd have to go with the later Stillmatic." He saw the genuinely shocked look on Derek's face and smiled, looking out the window. "I'm more than just a brain with legs."

"Consider me schooled. You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"You could say that."

When they got to the house, Spencer looked at it, eyes wide. "You did this?"

Derek nodded, going through his phone and showing him a picture. "This was the before." The picture on the screen showed a house with chipped paint that looked like it was going to cave in on itself if the wind blew too hard, with several structural issues. "I worked for about a year on this place, and it's the one I'm most proud of. Want to see the inside?"

"...Can we?"

He took his keys out of his pocket, walking up and unlocking the door, walking inside and Spencer following. "Would you like a tour?" he asked, squatting down and rubbing Clooney's back.

Spencer nodded. "That'd be great."

He motioned toward the kitchen. "Complete with finished cabinets by yours truly, I installed the dishwasher, stove, and everything else on my own. The place was stripped when I bought it. Also made the table and finished the chairs."

Spencer raised his eyebrow, impressed, as Derek went to the living room, the dog following close behind. "Completely gutted this room, fixed up the fireplace, so on cold winter nights, this is amazing. Clooney and I will curl up on the couch or on the floor with some blankets and keep warm. It's the definition of cozy."

Spencer motioned toward the bookcases lining one of the walls. "Did you make these too?"

"That was a project I did on a weekend. Why, do you like them?"

"Definitely. I tried building a bookcase from IKEA once… needless to say, it became scrap wood and Henry and I roasted marshmallows on it."

Derek laughed to himself. "I would've liked to see that."

"Oh no you wouldn't. There was a lot of anger involved. Cursing, wielding a hammer, the whole nine yards."

Derek showed him around the rest of the house, including the bedrooms, bathroom, and the gym he'd finished in the basement. "So, what do you think?"

"Pretty impressive. And this is just what you do in your spare time?"

"Yeah, it's just a hobby."

Spencer paused. "No offense meant, but if you can do this, why are you still, you know…"

"Why do I still serve coffee every weekday morning?" When Spencer nodded, he shrugged. "I don't know, I got comfortable at the coffee shop, and doing it this way, I'm able to do it on my terms, the way I like to see it. There's nobody to tell me I'm doing anything wrong or not to their liking. It probably makes no sense, but-"

Spencer shook his head. "It makes perfect sense. You're following your heart. It's admirable."

"Thanks, kid." He checked his watch. "I should probably get you back home so you can get a good night's sleep for school in the morning."

Spencer checked his watch, wrinkling his nose. "Guess so. Didn't realize how late it was."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Derek offered.

* * *

Derek pulled up to Spencer's place, parking the car. "So, I'll see you in the morning for you usual early morning teeth-rotting drink?"

Spencer nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Bright and early, and I should have plenty of homework in the afternoon."

"I'm sorry…"

Spencer smiled. "I'm not, gives me a reason to stay for a while."

Derek smirked. "Oh, really?"

"Really." He leaned over, kissing Derek's cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. For not giving up on me? For letting me in?"

"Don't sweat it, I'm glad I could."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before moving over, kissing Derek quickly on the lips. He pulled back shortly after, blushing. "So, um, I'll let you know when I have plans for a second date?"

"Sounds good to me, Pretty Boy."

He saw Spencer blush further and took it as a victory as he got out of the car, walking up to his apartment and unlocking the door. Checking his phone, he saw a text message from Penelope.

_Are we good, or do I need to console you after another 'you fucked up' break-up?_

He rolled his eyes. _One, I didn't fuck up, and two, we're fine. See you in the morning._ He tucked his phone into his pocket before starting the car, driving home.


	5. Learning to Have Fun

That night seemed to be a turning point for them that Derek definitely appreciated. When he would have a few spare minutes after finishing assignments, Spencer would text Derek with some small talk. It was never something overly intriguing, but in Derek's mind, it was much better than being completely ignored by him again.

Derek was in the middle of cleaning one of the coffee pots when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked around to see the shop was nearly empty and slipped into the back room, checking it.

_What time is your break? I thought maybe we could meet for lunch at the diner if you could get out around 12:30?_

He smiled to himself, checking the time and texting him back.

_I'll see you there, order me a burger._

He tucked his phone back into his pocket, walking back out and cleaning the pot.

"You've got a bit of a pep in your step," Penelope pointed out.

"I've got a lunch date," he told her, drying the pot and setting it on the counter.

"Oh do you?" she asked, crossing her arms. "With a certain customer of our fine establishment?"

He smiled. "Indeed. I'm taking my break in 20."

She sighed dramatically. "A whole half hour without my perfect chocolate Adonis by my side. However will I survive?"

He laughed softly. "I'm sure you'll find a way."

* * *

Derek walked into the diner and immediately spotted Spencer at one of the tables, several textbooks stacked next to him and a notebook in front of him, writing something out. He walked over, taking off his jacket and sitting across from him.

"Having fun?"

Spencer pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose, sighing. "If you want to call an absolutely ridiculous ten-page essay assignment 'fun', then yes. I understand what professors are trying to do, pushing us to have more detail in our answers, but when an answer can be simply summarized into a few paragraphs, it's impossible to expand it into more than a few pages."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Sorry I asked." He unwrapped the straw in front of him and put it into his glass, taking a sip.

Spencer exhaled, clicking his pen and setting his notebook on top of his books. "Sorry, my professor in my last class is completely ludicrous. I was in a perfectly fine mood all morning and when I invited you to lunch, but then this absolute imbecile decides that we need to write ten pages based on a poem that's _literally_ less than a page long. How does that make any sense?"

Derek shrugged. "Professor logic?"

Spencer scoffed. "Clearly." The waitress walked over, setting down their plates in front of them. "I hope you don't mind, I remembered what you ordered last time on your burger and got the same thing."

Derek shook his head. "Not a problem at all." He picked up his burger, taking a bite and chewing. "When's the paper due?"

Spencer glared at the notebook. "Two and a half weeks."

"...And you're stressing it _now_?"

He picked up his fork, shrugging. "My philosophy when it comes to schoolwork has always been the sooner, the better. If I get it done early in the time period, that's less time in the future spent stressing over it. I seriously lack the ability to procrastinate on assignments."

"That's better than most students," Derek told him. "Easily 80% of your classmates are going to put off that paper until two days before it's due and end up stressing like crazy."

He swallowed his food, clearing his throat and taking a sip of his water. "I don't envy them."

"I'm sure you don't." He put ketchup on his plate for his fries, setting the bottle down. "Do you always stress _this_ much?"

"...Have I not pointed out my full boat scholarship several times? Because I can't lose that."

Derek shook his head. "You've pointed it out. But with your intelligence, I don't see _why_ you stress so much."

He exhaled, setting his fork down. "I just want to make her proud."

Derek looked at him, curious. "..._Her_?"

Spencer licked his lips. "My mother. She… she essentially raised me on her own after my father the prick left, and she was an English professor, so she stressed the academics. She um, she got sick, but she always made me and my schoolwork a priority in her life, and I just, I can't let her down after everything she did."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Is she okay?"

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "She's back home. She has bad days, but I make sure to write to her everyday, so she knows I'm thinking about her and I still care, even though I'm not there anymore." He laughed to himself. "She actually sent in my application to the school without telling me, so I got the acceptance letter in the mail and it totally threw me off."

Derek smirked. "That sounds like a pretty awesome mom to me."

"She's the best," Spencer said, smiling, picking up his fork and eating.

* * *

After they were finished eating, Derek handed his card to the waitress. "So, Spencer, are you up to anything tonight?"

Spencer pointed to his notebook. "Kind of, why?"

"Because you need a lesson in unwinding, and I would enjoy being the person to give you that lesson."

He clicked his tongue, eyeing the stack of books, before turning to look at Derek. "...Can you promise to have me home at a reasonable hour so I can finish this ridiculous assignment with plenty of time to spare?"

"I definitely can," he told him, signing the receipt and handing it back to the waitress, setting his card back in his wallet.

Spencer thought it over before nodding. "Okay, can you come get me at my place when you get out of work?"

"Can do." He checked his phone and exhaled. "I've got to get back." Pulling on his jacket, he leaned over, lifting Spencer's chin and giving him a quick kiss. "See you tonight. Try to look less like a struggling businessman and more like a college student for this date."

Spencer blushed, nodding. "I'll see what I can do."

He smiled to himself, taking his car keys out of his pocket and walking outside.

* * *

"Well, somebody had a good time, judging by the smile on his face," Penelope said, crossing her arms.

He pulled his apron back on. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

She shook her head. "Nuh uh, there's no 'maybe' about it here. How was lunch?"

He shrugged. "We talked about his school, some personal stuff, and the fact that we now have a date tonight."

"Whose idea?"

He pointed to himself. "I need to teach him that he may be a college student, but he's also still young and needs to have a little fun."

She laughed, scoffing. "Good luck with that one. In the years I've known him, I haven't known him to _ever_ cool down his academic jets."

"He agreed and we sealed it with a kiss."

She gasped, hitting his arm. "Nuh uh!"

"Yep." He logged into the register, smirking. "And darn, it looks like the afternoon rush is kicking in, so I don't have time to share details."

She rolled her eyes. "You will reveal them in time if you know what's good for you," she said, taking her Sharpie out of her pocket and tucking it in her ear.

"We'll see."

At the end of the work day, Derek logged out of the register, walking to the backroom and taking off his apron, hanging it.

"So, not even a hint of what you two are up to tonight?" Penelope asked, swapping out her sneakers for flats.

"I told you, I'm teaching him that he needs to have some fun," he explained, taking out his phone and texting Spencer.

_I'm leaving work now, I should be there in about twenty minutes. Be ready_.

"Have fun," Penelope told him, pulling on her jacket, "and don't break my little genius."

"I promise."

* * *

He pulled up to Spencer's place and saw him standing outside, his bag slung over his shoulder. Rather than his usual attire, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater, and though it was very different, Derek definitely liked this look on him. Spencer gripped the strap for his bag and walked toward the car, before taking it off and opening the door, setting it on the floor in front of the seat.

"_Please_ don't tell me you brought your homework with you?" Derek asked.

"Okay, I won't," Spencer said, closing the door and buckling himself in.

Derek sighed, pointing to the bag. "That's not going in with us."

"...Why not?"

"I may not need to give you that music education we talked about, but I'm sure as hell going to teach you how to still have some fun when you're in college."

"...But schoolwork to me _is_ fun."

"It has the word 'work' in it, and therefore, I ban it."

Spencer scoffed. "You _ban_ it?"

"Mhm. You have until we get to our destination to do whatever you planned on doing with that bag."

"But Derek-"

"Is there anything in that bag due within the next couple of weeks?"

Spencer quickly shook his head. "Not exactly, no, but-."

"Then it stays in the car."

He sighed, leaning back. "Fine, but you did say you'd have me home at a reasonable hour to work on my assignments."

"I did, and that's exactly what I'll do." He shifted the car into park and drove. "When's the last time you had some fun, Spencer?"

"...At the museum a few weeks ago, and again when we had lunch this afternoon, so fairly recently."

Derek shook his head. "What about before that?"

Spencer clicked his tongue a few times, thinking to himself. "Before the semester started, I went with Penelope to some amusement park with Henry."

"Uh huh, and were you having the fun, or was the little one?"

"What?"

Derek chuckled. "How many rides did you go on that weren't made for a three year old?"

"...Do ferris wheels count?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then none."

Derek laughed, shaking his head. "I'm going to teach you how to have some actual fun. I'm thinking of two ideas in my head, pick a number 1 or 2."

"...What's that supposed to do?"

"Easy, I gave both activities a number, so you're blindly going to choose what we do."

Spencer's eyes widened. "And how am I supposed to know that one of the options isn't skydiving or base jumping or paragliding?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Now I'm kind of bummed those didn't cross my mind." He saw Spencer panicking and smiled. "Nothing that extreme, I promise. Now trust me and pick."

He looked over and saw Spencer mumbling to himself, probably trying to statistically find the 'safer' number. He turned his eyes back to the road and smirked, waiting for his response.

"Um, I guess I'll say 1?"

He nodded, gripping the steering wheel. "Good choice… you have health insurance, right?" He saw Spencer panic and laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, man, I couldn't resist."

Spencer leaned over, flicking him. "Don't make me regret saying I'd do this."

* * *

Derek pulled into the parking lot and looked at Spencer, waiting for his reaction.

"...You took me away from doing my assignments to take me to an ice cream stand?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Derek shook his head. "It's what's _behind_ the ice cream stand."

Spencer got out of the car, walking past it and peeking at what was behind. "...I see a fenced in area, heavy machinery, and on the opposite side, what looks like greenery and a track of some sort."

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really don't know what those are?"

"Should I?"

He walked over, standing beside Spencer and pointing to each of them. "Batting cages, miniature golf, and go-karts."

"So that's what those look like?" he asked, tilting his head.

Derek opened his mouth to respond but shook his head. "Come on, I'll show you." He closed Spencer's door, locking the car and leading him to the back.

He paid for two passes to each of them and looked at Spencer. "Your choice, what do we do first?" he asked, holding them up. He saw Spencer considering the options and shook his head. "Don't make me make you pick a number again."Spencer rolled his eyes, reaching out and taking one, handing it to Derek. "There."

Derek examined it. "Go-karts it is. Ever done it?"

"...No?"

"...Have you ever done any of the things here tonight?" he asked, walking over to the track.

"I've had ice cream?" Spencer offered.

Derek chuckled, shaking his head and handing the passes to the attendant. "Pick a car, any car."

Spencer eyed all of them before sitting in one, buckling his seatbelt and putting his hands on the wheel.

"22?" Derek asked, taking the one beside him.

"I figure a palindrome of a number can't be too harmful, can it? Besides, it's the atomic number for titanium, and if you divide it by 7? You get pi."

Derek shook his head. "Whatever you say, kid." He buckled himself in. "You know how to drive well?"

"I've known since I was 12, but unfortunately due to the 'law', I couldn't acquire a permit until I was 16."

"A bit cocky, think you can beat me?" Derek asked, revving his engine.

Spencer shrugged. "I guess there's one way to find out?"

The attendant held up the flag and waved it, signaling they could go. The two of them stayed neck and neck for a couple of laps, until Spencer pushed ahead of him. Rather than turning it into a real race, Derek decided to just let him win, thinking that he needed the victory as a pick-me-up to distract him.

He pulled in after the last lap and unbuckled himself, turning to Spencer. "What'd you think?"

Spencer smiled. "I think you could've done a whole lot better than that," he said, climbing out.

"You've got jokes?"

He nodded. "A few."

Derek smirked, motioning toward the mini golf course. "Come on, onto the next one."

* * *

Once he picked up their clubs and balls, Derek held them out to Spencer. "You get your pick, purple or red?"

Spencer eyed them quickly before taking the purple club and ball.

"Seriously?"

Spencer shrugged. "Purple is my favorite color."

"Another odd thing to like about you," Derek said, walking to the first hole.

"Did you know that purple is usually associated with royalty?" Spencer pointed out. "The invitations to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation were a purple color, and in the United States as well as Europe, it's associated with individualism?"

Derek smiled. "Judging by the mismatched socks? It's the perfect color for you." He set his ball down, looking at Spencer. "I take it you know the basics of golf? Hit the ball, get it into the hole in as few strokes as possible."

Spencer nodded. "I've read about it extensively."

Derek pointed to his face. "Surprised face." Spencer gave him a small smile and Derek swung, getting his ball near the hole. "Your turn, genius."

He set his ball down where Derek had, looking at the hole in front of him and mumbling to himself before hitting it softly, watching it go down the slope and right next to the hole. "...Is that okay?"

Derek blinked. "What did you do?"

"I just calculated how well the slope would handle the ball at different angles and went with the one that was best suited to get me closer to the hole."

Derek shook his head. "No math, you're supposed to be having fun."

"But to me, math _is_ fun," Spencer argued, watching as Derek got his ball into the hole and following suit.

* * *

By the time they made it to the 18th hole, Spencer had pulled ahead using math and formulas to help him get his answers.

Spencer leaned on his club, looking at Derek. "So, by my calculations, you need to get a hole in one just to tie this game, and if you don't? You lose to the beanpole who only just learned how to play a half hour ago." He clicked his tongue. "Not exactly a win-win situation for you."

Derek rolled his eyes, mock laughing. "You know, I'm thinking I don't like this cocky side of you. I liked you better in bookworm mode."

Spencer shrugged. "You pulled me away, therefore you created this. Should I go first and put you out of your misery, or would you like to take a shot and have a few short seconds of glory?"

Derek picked up his club, swinging it around, before setting his ball down. "I'll be fine." After swinging, he turned around to face Spencer. "You're photographing this?"

"Documenting, Derek. There's a difference."

He scoffed, turning back to the ball and smirking when it went in. "Look at that, I won."

Spencer set his own ball down, swinging the club and watching as it went in. "Correction, you _tied_. With somebody who just started playing. Ouch."

* * *

"Batting cages to end the night?" Derek asked, changing the subject and leading the way.

"Out of pure curiosity, what was the other option for tonight?" he asked as Derek looked through the helmets.

"Bowling and an arcade. Having had my finger stuck in a bowling ball in the past, I'm glad you went with this one."

Spencer looked into the batting cages and his eyes went wide. "So you'd rather have baseballs hurled at your head at high speeds?"

Derek picked up a helmet, putting it on Spencer's head, before putting on his own and grabbing two bats. "I'm not going to let that happen. Don't you trust me?"

Spencer groaned, taking one of the bats from him. "Unfortunately."

Derek opened up two of the cages, motioning for Spencer to step into one of them. Once he did, he stepped into the other. "Don't put your token in until I'm done teaching you, got it?"

Spencer nodded, adjusting the helmet. "Got it."

Derek picked up his bat. "First, the stance. I'm assuming you're right-handed?"

"You assume correctly," Spencer told him, picking up his own bat and eyeing it.

Derek smirked, showing him how to stand. "Just like this. Knees apart and slightly bent, elbows bent and up."

Spencer eyed his position before nodding, mimicking it. "Like this?"

Derek looked at him before shaking his head, laughing to himself and walking into the cage, standing behind Spencer and holding his elbows up. "Like this. Don't be so stiff or this isn't going to work."

"Take one look at me, it's quite obvious I'm not good at sports."

"It's never too late to learn." Derek tapped the back of his leg. "Slightly bend, just enough to lower yourself a little." Spencer did as he was told and Derek smiled. "There we go! Now, we start on the swing."

Spencer looked at him, eyes wide. "You're starting it already?!"

"Hell no, kid, but that deer in the headlights look may be one of my favorite things ever." Spencer nudged him with his elbow and he laughed softly. "Sorry, my mistake. If I go back to my cage, can you keep your stance and mirror my actions?"

Spencer nodded quickly. "Though I can't promise it'll last."

"All that matters is you're trying," Derek said, getting back into his cage and closing it, picking up the bat. "I just want you to watch me, okay?" He gripped the bat, getting into the stance and swinging a few times. "Watch how I turn, watch my hips. See how they move?"

Spencer raised his eyebrows, chewing on his cheek. "Indeed." He quickly realized that what he'd said didn't stay in his head and blushed, turning bright red.

Derek dismissed it after a small smile. "Just swing and follow through," he said, demonstrating a few times. "Now, try it."

Spencer cleared his throat a few times before attempting it. "Like that?"

"A few more."

Spencer blushed again, swinging a couple more times before looking at Derek. "Well?"

"I think you're ready to go." Derek stepped outside, flipping the token in the air before putting it in. "If you need help, just let me know. First ball should be coming in a few seconds."

Spencer just had time to turn around and swing, completely missing the ball. "Why do they go so fast?!"

"Because it's a pitching machine, it imitates actual pitches. Now come on, concentrate. It's on the slow setting."

He sighed, straightening up and stretching slightly, a pitch just missing hitting him in the arm. "What the hell! You do this for fun?!"

Derek bit down on his lip to hold back a laugh. "Do you need some help in there?"

"No, Derek, I enjoy making a fool of myself. Please, let me continue."

"Look at you, learning sarcasm," Derek joked, opening the cage and stepping inside, helping him get into position again. He gripped Spencer's hands, whispering in his ear. "Relax, you're too tense."

Spencer nodded slightly, taking a deep breath and, with the assistance of Derek, swinging at the next ball. His eyes went wide as he actually hit it away from him. "...Wow."

Derek smiled, kissing his cheek. "You did it, and you've got ten more to go. If you hit at least three, ice cream afterward is my treat."

Spencer clicked his tongue, nodding. "Challenge accepted. With assistance, or without?"

"Without of course. I think you can manage it." Derek stepped out of the cage, winking at him. "Come on, Pretty Boy," he said, clapping his hands together.

Spencer exhaled, unsuccessfully swinging at the first couple of pitches, but ultimately hitting four of them in the end. He turned around and saw Derek with his phone out. "...Are you recording this?"

"Documenting," he said, tucking the phone back into his pocket, "I think the genius learning how to swing is good stress relief."

Spencer pulled off the helmet, hanging it up, before leaning the bat against the fence. "Can you get all fifteen?"

"I could, but I wouldn't want to bruise your newfound ego."

He shook his head. "I don't know, you got to see me do it. It's only fair you return the favor."

"Fine." He walked back into the cage, putting his helmet on and putting in the token. When he swung at a few, he turned back to see Spencer smiling and enjoying himself, which had been the goal for the night. "And what are we laughing about back there?"

Spencer shrugged. "Just enjoying the view."

Derek scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure." He turned his attention back to the pitching machine, and unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for the next pitch, which hit him in the shoulder.

Spencer winced. "Probably a dumb question, but are you okay?"

Derek nodded slightly, rubbing his shoulder, before picking up the bat and swinging. He bit down on his cheek, shaking his head. "That'll be a no." He walked out, setting down the helmet and feeling his shoulder.

Spencer swatted his hand away. "Let me see."

"It's fine, I just need some ice." He motioned toward the stand. "I promised you ice cream, come on."

"Are you sure-"

"It's fine," Derek repeated, resting his hand on the small of Spencer's back and walking over.

* * *

True to his word, Derek had bought them ice cream, but Spencer insisted on getting some ice for his shoulder.

"Do you have an extra shirt in your car?" Spencer asked, looking in the backseat.

"...I don't know?" Derek said, picking up his spoon and eating.

Spencer reached behind him, picking up a shirt, before pouring some of the ice cubes into it and tying it off, resting it on Derek's shoulder.

"Eat your ice cream before it melts. I'm f-"

"If the next word out of your mouth is 'fine', Derek Morgan, this date is over."

"Look at you, using the 'd' word," Derek joked, taking another bite.

"Your shoulder is pretty swollen, are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"Spencer!" Derek said. "It'll be okay."

Spencer took a bite of his ice cream, shaking his head. "Stretch for me and prove me wrong."

Derek sighed, setting his bowl down on the dashboard. "Let me guess, you took a course in physical therapy?"

"Yes," he said matter of factly. "Now, prove to me that you're okay to drive."

Derek pushed off the makeshift ice pack, stretching his arm out and wincing slightly. "It's fine, just a little sting."

"Riiight," Spencer said, clicking his tongue and poking his spoon around in his ice cream. "Do you work tomorrow morning?"

He shook his head. "Luckily it's my day off so I can go home and sleep it off."

Spencer sighed. "I'm not letting you drive home like this. If there's something in the road and you need to make a sudden movement, you'll be in pain."

"So what's going to happen, genius?" Derek asked, scraping the last of his ice cream out and eating it.

Spencer held up a finger, thinking to himself. "Are you opposed to sleeping on a couch?"

"...No?"

He reached over, taking the keys from Derek. "I'll drive you back to my place, you can sleep, and then when you wake up in the morning and you've rested your arm, you can drive home."

"Second date and you're already inviting me back to your place? Well, things are moving a lot faster than I expected," Derek teased.

Spencer mock laughed. "Fine, risk driving home, wrecking your shoulder, and needing to go to a hospital."

Derek put up his hands. "Whatever you say, doc." He got out, walking around and taking the passenger seat as Spencer slid over to the driver's seat, starting the car. "Do you know how to drive this kind of car?"

"An automatic one with four wheels and an engine? I think I can manage." He pointed to the ice pack. "Put that back on, along with your seatbelt."

He sighed, reaching around and buckling himself in, before putting the ice pack onto his shoulder. "Anything else?"

"It should take about fifteen minutes to get back to my place. Once we get there, take the ice off, take some naproxen, and elevate the shoulder over your heart. Can you do that?"

Derek nodded and Spencer started the car, pulling out and driving.

* * *

Once they were at Spencer's, Spencer grabbed his bag from the floor and picked it up, putting it over his shoulder. Derek sighed, getting out of the car and walking to the front door, rolling his shoulder and waiting for Spencer. Spencer took out his house key, unlocking the door and going in first, turning on the lights.

"Just make yourself comfortable," Spencer told him, turning on the light in the living room and motioning toward the couch. "I'll get you something for the pain."

"I'm not in pain," Derek lied.

Spencer scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm the queen of England," he said, grabbing a bottle from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and taking out a couple of pills, walking back out and handing them to Derek.

Derek sighed, popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing before lying back on the couch. "Spencer, I'm fine. I suffered a lot worse than this when I played football in college."

"That's nice," Spencer told him, sitting in his armchair and opening up his bag. "You can't hide the fact that it hurts. Take off your shirt and let me see the damage."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Let me see how bad it is."

Derek sat up, pulling his shirt over his head and wincing. He then glanced over at his shoulder and saw it was already swollen. "Damn."

"You had to pick the fast pitching speed, didn't you?" Spencer said, putting on his glasses and getting a closer look.

"I kind of ruined the whole de-stressing, didn't I?" Derek asked, looking up at him.

Spencer shook his head, giving him a smile. "I had a great time. Second date was definitely a success."

"So that was a date to you?" Derek asked.

"You mean to tell me it wasn't?"

Derek leaned over, lifting Spencer's chin and kissing him. "I had a great time too."

Spencer smirked, walking back to his bag and taking out his notebook, before walking over and closing the curtains for his front window.

Derek raised an eyebrow, putting his arm along the back of the couch and pointing. "That was?"

"To keep my nosy big sister of a neighbor out of my business," Spencer told him, opening his notebook and taking out a pen.

"You just kissed a shirtless guy in your living room and closed the curtain. Trust me, she doesn't think you're going to be working on your assignment."

Spencer sat down, raising an eyebrow and thinking out loud. "If she doesn't think I'm working on my assignment, what else would she think I was doing-" he gasped, turning to Derek. "She doesn't!"

Derek shrugged slightly, resisting the urge to wince. "I'm not in her brain, so I couldn't tell you."

Spencer blushed before biting his lip, shaking his head and clicking his pen, starting to write.

* * *

Derek leaned back on the couch, watching Spencer as he wrote. When he'd pause, he'd chew on his cheek and squint, trying to find the right way to word his sentence, and when he finally did, he would smile to himself and jot it down. Derek smirked, crossing his arms.

"Elevate your shoulder," Spencer snapped at him, not looking up from his notebook.

Derek raised an eyebrow, tucking his arm behind the pillow. "Better?"

"Whatever makes you comfortable," he mumbled, counting out his pages and groaning. "_Eight_? I've been busting my hump working on this assignment and I've only done _eight_ of the ten pages? How is that possible?!"

He looked over. "You do realize that you've done eight, front and back, in your tiny chickenscratch, and when you type it up and double-space it, it'll exceed ten pages, so _technically_ you're already done…?" Spencer glanced up at him, glaring, and Derek put up his hand. "My mistake, do go on."

"I will." He got up, walking over to a closet and taking out a blanket, tossing it toward Derek, before sitting back in his chair and writing. "How does one avoid being repetitive on such a ridiculous assignment?"

Derek kicked off his shoes, putting his feet up and fixing the blanket over himself. "I used to hate those assignments. I'd bullshit my own explanation about how there was more depth than meets the eye and literally take it line by line with interpretations. Teachers couldn't fail me, because I did what they asked, but they hated my method."

Spencer laughed to himself, starting on a new page. "You think you're bad? I just rambled on for two straight pages about possible themes the author had in mind but couldn't convey past the main theme. With how much detail I put into these assignments, they probably hate me." He shrugged. "Oh well. A couple of months and I won't be their problem anymore."

"Good way to look at it."

He tucked his legs underneath himself, clicking his pen a few times.

"So is there a reason you write it all out before you even turn on your laptop?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded. "Computers slow me down so I find it easier to write it out and then put it on my laptop. It's an odd habit, considering how dependent everyone is on technology these days, but it's what works for me."

Derek reached in his pocket, checking his phone. "Shocking, JJ told Penelope that I'm here."

"She did not," Spencer mumbled.

He turned his phone around to show him the screen. "Then do tell me why I have a text message that says '_Oh for the love of God, Derek Morgan, it is the second date. You're already naked in his apartment?! That sounds more like a fifth date thing to me_'."

Spencer blushed. "Do feel free to tell her the truth about why you're shirtless in my apartment."

Derek shook his head. "I think I'll let her imagination wander, it's all she has," he said, tossing his phone onto the table. "What time do you usually go to bed?"

"After I finish my assignment," Spencer put plainly. "If the light is distracting you, I could go into my study or my bedroom and you could get some sleep?"

"It's fine, I don't mind it out here. I've got a good view."

Spencer looked over at Derek, smiling. "I think you might be a little delirious."

"Think what you will," Derek said before yawning. "But I'm an honest man, Spencer Reid."

Spencer laughed. "Good to know, Derek Morgan." He turned down the light before curling his entire body onto the armchair and resting his notebook against his legs.

Derek studied him for a moment before coming to a realization: he was really, truly falling for this guy, harder than ever before. The problem was going to be how to approach it and not scare him off.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "I can feel you watching me, and me doing my homework is not that entertaining. Get some sleep."

Derek adjusted his arm behind the pillow and winced slightly. "Class tomorrow?"

Spencer shook his head. "All of my teachers are going to some event and in college they don't believe in substitute teachers, so I'll just be here doing my homework. Get some sleep," he repeated.

"Yes, sir," Derek said, saluting him, pulling the blanket over himself and allowing himself to watch him a short while longer before finally nodding off.

* * *

Later that night, Derek opened his eyes and saw that Spencer had fallen asleep in his chair with a book wide open in his lap and his finger on the corner of the page. He shook his head, getting up and grabbing the blanket from the back of the chair, carefully putting it over him, then taking off his glasses and setting them on the table. He didn't have much time to think about it, considering he was exhausted, but he took in how peaceful Spencer looked when he was sleeping: any signs of stress from school or assignments was gone, and he almost seemed happy. Quickly making a mental note of it, he laid back on the couch, letting his eyes slip shut.

Derek woke up the following morning to knocking on the front door. He reached out for his phone, checking the time and groaning. Of course on his day off, he couldn't sleep in - that was just a crazy concept. He also noticed several text messages from Penelope, demanding details about the night before. He was about to get up and answer the door when Spencer walked in, putting his hand up.

"I've got it, you stay," he mumbled, trudging toward the door.

Not one to go against orders, he sat up, pushing off the blanket and getting a good look at his shoulder, noticing the bruising and wincing.

Spencer opened his door a crack. "Yes, JJ, what can I do for you at ungodly hour o'clock in the morning on my day off when the coffee's not even finished yet?"

"Barging in before coffee, JJ? Not your smartest game plan," Derek heard from behind her and groaned to himself.

"Penelope," he muttered under his breath, sighing.

"Can you come back later?" he pleaded. "_Please_?"

"Yeah, no problem. Penelope's just worried that she hasn't heard from Derek since yesterday and wanted to check with you."

He narrowed his eyes into a glare. "You know he came here last night, JJ, because you hurried to text Penelope, who immediately texted Derek, whose car is quite obviously in my driveway. Now, I love you both dearly, but love doesn't mean anything when I haven't had my morning coffee, so if you could do me the favor of just _going away_ for the next twenty minutes or so, I'll be much more pleasant when you come back."

Without letting them get in another word, he closed the door and locked it, walking back to the kitchen.

"So _this_ is Spencer Reid without caffeine. I have to say, it'd be quite the thing to wake up to."

Spencer mock laughed, pouring himself a cup of coffee and putting in several spoonfuls of sugar. After taking a few sips, he looked out into the living room. "How do you take it?"

Derek got up, rubbing his shoulder and walking out to the kitchen, leaning against the counter. "Just a little sugar to get me going." He watched as Spencer poured his coffee and smiled.

"What?" Spencer asked, turning to him and handing him his coffee mug. It was odd for Derek to see the usual well-dressed man in a pair of plaid pajama pants and an oversized college t-shirt.

"Nothing, it's just nice to be on the receiving end of the coffee for a change," he said, sipping it. "If this whole college thing falls through, I suggest becoming a barista."

"With my less-than-existent social skills? No thank you."

Derek finished off his cup of coffee before he motioned toward the door. "Are you ready for that?"

Spencer shook his head, finishing his third cup. "Definitely not. They're nosy alone, but when you combine them? I can only imagine what 'baseball injury' will translate to."

Derek chuckled. "I see what you mean. How about I put on my shirt before they get here, lest they get more of a wrong idea?"

"I think that would be smart."

He walked out to the living room, pulling on his shirt and wincing. "Did you finish your paper last night?"

Spencer nodded, opening the freezer and grabbing some ice cubes, putting them into an ice pack. "I actually made it to twelve written pages, which should easily translate to twenty pages when it's typed up." He walked out to the living room and motioned for Derek to sit down. Once he did, he rested the ice pack against his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor? That's pretty bruised up."

"It only hurts when I move it too much, I'll be fine. Thanks, though."

"It's just nice that somebody else is the accident prone one in my life for a change," Spencer joked. "I have a habit of getting myself into situations and hurting myself."

"I'm glad I could take the burden off of you for a change," Derek retorted, putting his hand on the ice pack. "Are you up to anything today?"

"After big sister and her nosy best friend are done poking and prodding into my personal life, I'm free, considering I finished my assignment. Why?"

"If you'd like, I can take you out to breakfast, or possibly even lunch, depending on how long the meddling twins pick our brains."

Spencer nodded, smiling. "I think I'd like that. One condition?"

"Go for it."

"No more of your definition of 'fun'? I had a great time, but I think your shoulder could use a break."

Derek chuckled, nodding. "Done."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the delay on getting this chapter posted. I read it over about fifteen times to be sure I was satisfied with it for an update.


	6. Opening Up

Spencer went to his room and grabbed his phone, sending JJ a text, before walking to the front door, unlocking it, then curling up in his chair.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"5, 4, 3, 2," he said, counting down and pointing to the door. As if it were rehearsed, JJ knocked on the door and he sighed. "It's open."

JJ walked in, Penelope close behind her. "Sorry if we're interrupting."

"No you're not," Spencer mumbled, putting his books back into his bag and closing it.

Penelope walked over, nudging Derek with her elbow. "So, how was date night?"

"Fine?" he said, adjusting the ice pack on his shoulder.

She raised an eyebrow, lifting up the ice pack and looking at his shoulder. "What the hell did you do and remind me not to use your brand of karma sutra."

Spencer blushed, shaking his head.

"Not even close, Baby Girl," he told her, putting it back on. He glanced over at Spencer. "Would you like to take it, or is it on me?"

Spencer put up his hands. "It's all you."

"First question," JJ started, sitting on the arm of Spencer's chair, "why were you shirtless in his apartment last night?"

Derek smirked. "I'll get there. He was stressing over his assignment, which he ended up finishing last night, so I decided he needed to have a little fun for a change… somebody else's definition of fun." He saw Spencer rolling his eyes and laughed to himself. "So I took him to that ice cream place with the go-karts, mini golf, and batting cages."

Spencer raised his hand. "I'd just like to point out that I won go-karts, tied in mini golf, and hit more baseballs than Derek."

Penelope looked at Derek. "_Seriously_?"

"I'm getting there," he said quickly. "I took it easy on the go-kart track, he used math and logic to tie at mini golf, and I taught him everything he needed to know in the batting cages. It was my turn, I hit a few, I turned around to see him taking pictures, turned back around and didn't duck fast enough, so I got a baseball to the shoulder at top speed."

JJ winced. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Spencer scoffed. "Yeah, that phrase came out of his mouth a good ten times before he admitted he was in pain. Show them."

"Spencer, I'm not taking my shirt off to show them," Derek argued.

Penelope smirked. "I don't know, I wouldn't mind. Jayje, you?"

JJ shrugged. "I'm a mom and a wife, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

He sighed, reaching down and grabbing the bottom hem of his shirt, carefully taking it off and motioning toward his shoulder.

Penelope hissed, her fingers hovering over it. "That looks so painful. Derek Morgan, how the hell did you play macho man with that on your shoulder?!"

He put the ice pack on. "It didn't hurt that bad, but Spencer insisted on icing it while we were eating ice cream. Then he determined that I was in no condition to drive home, so he pretty much took the keys and demanded that I sleep on his couch."

JJ turned to Spencer, eyebrow raised. "Second date sleepover?" She whistled. "Go, Spence."

He blushed, shaking his head. "It's nothing like that. I didn't want him driving home and needing to make any sudden movements, so I wanted him to be careful. We got back here, I gave him something for the pain, and then I did my homework."

Penelope put up her finger. "You forgot to mention how he ended up shirtless."

Spencer ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

"Nothing happened," Derek quickly said, which seemed to calm Spencer down.

Spencer nodded his agreement. "I needed to get a better look at it to be sure I didn't need to drive him to the hospital, he was fine and elevated his shoulder-"

"And the curtains?" JJ asked.

He groaned. "I'm getting to that. I didn't need you seeing I was home and bothering me when I was trying to finish my homework. Derek kissed me, I realized the curtains were open, and I closed them. That's all."

Penelope glanced at Derek. "Truth?"

He nodded. "Meds kicked in and I fell asleep. Woke up in the middle of the night to him asleep in his chair, put a blanket on him, went back to sleep, woke up this morning to JJ's knocking."

"Sorry," she spoke up, turning to Spencer. "So what's going on with you two?" she asked, pointing between them.

Spencer rubbed his temple, looking up at her. "You're going to give me a migraine."

"It's what big sisters are for."

He sighed, looking at Derek, before glancing at her. "Well we're dating, so technically speaking, he's my boyfriend. Are you happy now?"

She squealed, wrapping her arms around him. "Ecstatic!"

Penelope leaned over, wrapping her arms around Derek, careful of his shoulder. "Look who has himself a boyfriend and can stop moping around."

He scoffed. "Thanks."

Penelope ran her hand over his scalp before patting his head. "We've got a girl's day courtesy of Will and we're off to enjoy it. You two lovebirds enjoy whatever it is you're up to today."

He pushed her hand off. "Don't worry, we will."

JJ eyed Spencer. "You will?"

"My life and who's involved in it is none of your business, despite the fact you've somehow illegally adopted me," he pointed out.

She smirked, ruffling his hair. "Well, whatever it is you're up to, have fun, but not too much."

"Seconded," Penelope said, patting Derek's cheek before getting up, following JJ out and closing the door.

Spencer groaned, leaning his head back and rubbing his eyes. "I really didn't need a sister. I was satisfied being an only child."

"Trust me, I have two of them, and now with Penelope tacking herself on? I envy your status as an only child."

Spencer laughed. "I envy my former status as well."

Derek checked his phone. "Looks like we can get some breakfast if you're interested? My treat."

"How can a college student refuse a free meal?" Spencer joked, getting up. "I'm going to get dressed if you want to take a shower or something before we go?"

"That's probably a good idea. Bathroom?"

Spencer pointed. "Right next to the bedroom. Face cloths are next to the shower if you need one."

"Thanks. I'll be out in a few."

Spencer caught himself staring at Derek and looked up at him. "Hm?" He quickly blushed and opened the hall closet, taking out a towel and handing it to him. "I mean, um, here."

Derek chuckled, shaking his head and taking the towel. "Thanks."

* * *

After Derek took a quick shower and got changed, the two of them were on the road, Spencer still insisting on driving.

Derek put in his car charger, plugging in his phone and texting his neighbor to see if she had checked on Clooney, as she usually did when he was out late. When he received a text back, he was relieved, then laughed softly.

Spencer raised an eyebrow, turning to him. "What's so funny?"

He motioned toward his phone. "When I'm late renovating or something, my neighbor pops in to check on Clooney and walk him. She sent me a picture of him curled up on my jacket, with the caption 'I don't think he approves'."

At a red light, he turned the phone around to show Spencer, who chuckled. "He looks very upset, I think you owe him something."

"I'll make some extra meat with dinner tonight, he'll get over it. Where we headed, the diner?"

Spencer shook his head. "I'm not ready to frequent _another_ place as often as I frequent the coffee shop. First name basis is fine at your place, but at a restaurant? It just seems awkward."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

Derek picked up a piece of bacon, biting into it. "So, how easily do you accept gifts?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow as he set the syrup back on the table. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you took care of me last night despite me trying to be a strongman and taking care of myself, and I really appreciate that."

He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee before setting it down. "It's nothing, really. I didn't mind doing it."

"Still," Derek spoke up, swallowing, "do you accept gifts?"

"I guess it depends on the nature of the gift, as well as the monetary value, because I certainly don't have anything to give you in return except several visits a day at your job to get my caffeine fix satisfied," Spencer reasoned.

"That's more than enough for me."

Spencer blushed, taking a bite of his french toast. "Why, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, you know how there is literally a lining of books on both sides of your hallway?"

"I told you about my IKEA adventure, I'd rather not go back there," Spencer pointed out.

"What if you didn't have to go back there and I had two bookshelves already made that could go up and save your books from being tripped over or stepped on again?"

Spencer's eyes widened, smiling. "You're serious?"

He nodded. "I made them last weekend after I saw your apartment and figured that a lover of literature like yourself could use them." He shrugged. "But totally your choice. If you don't want them, I can just sell them or put them in one of my properties. I just thought they'd be a nice gesture."

Spencer thought it over before nodding. "Well, I suppose if you feel as if you owe me for last night, I guess I could take them off of your hands?"

Derek laughed softly. "That's what I thought. If you want, I can get them to you on Sunday. Obviously you don't want me lifting anything today, I work tomorrow morning, and I figure by Sunday my shoulder will be fine for lifting by your standards."

"All I'll be doing this weekend is assignments, so Sunday works perfectly."

"You're _really_ not going to have any fun after everything I taught you yesterday?"

"Considering you taught me what _not_ to do?" Spencer pointed out, smirking at him. "Don't worry, I'll be having _my_ definition of fun at some point this weekend, including watching with Henry while JJ runs some errands with Will and watching Doctor Who."

Derek clicked his tongue. "I _guess_ I'll take it."

"I guess you'll have to," Spencer teased.

* * *

After breakfast, Spencer drove back to his place. Parking in front, he turned to Derek.

"Let me know if you need any advice for what to do about that shoulder. I've read more medical journals than I could count, and I don't want you hurt and making me lift those bookcases on Sunday."

Derek laughed softly. "Yes, sir."

Spencer got out of the car, walking around and handing Derek his keys as he got out. "Keep it elevated, take something for the pain, and relax."

Derek saluted him. "Can do, boss."

He smirked, leaning in and kissing Derek on the cheek. "And once you're better? I think you should demand a rematch, because losing to a stick like me is, I'm sure, embarrassing beyond all possible belief."

"Beginner's luck," Derek pointed out, twirling the keys around on his finger.

He scoffed. "Prove it." He leaned in, giving Derek a quick kiss, before waving and walking to his front door, unlocking it and going inside.

Derek shook his head, smiling to himself and walking around, getting in and starting the car.

* * *

As instructed by Spencer, Derek spent his day with his arm elevated and his shoulder on ice every once in a while. After a few hours, he got a text.

_Have you taken something lately?_

He smirked. _I took something when I got home a few hours ago, and I just took the ice pack off. _

It was about a minute before he received another text. _Is it still swollen? If it's looking abnormally large, maybe you should see a doctor._

He turned and looked at his shoulder. _It was worse yesterday. I'm fine, and I mean it this time._

When Spencer texted him back, he checked his phone. _You'd better. I'll see you Sunday_.

He laughed, shaking his head and tossing his phone on the table before turning to Clooney. "I've gotten myself into a relationship with a crazy one, haven't I?"

* * *

At work the following morning, Penelope had insisted on checking his shoulder before letting him lift anything. Once she found it wasn't swollen and he could move it without being in too much pain, she allowed him to restock the cups and prepare all of the machines.

"So, what's it like having an adorable little boytoy to take care of you?" she asked, digging in her apron for her Sharpie.

"I have to say, it doesn't suck," he said, tucking his own Sharpie behind his ear. "He knows so much and he was a great help when I needed it."

"Oh I'm sure," she said, nudging him with her elbow and winking.

"Definitely not, sweetness. I've barely known him six weeks and barely even talked to him for three of those. That is _very_ far in the distance at this point."

She gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "The great Derek Morgan taking a relationship _slow? _Call the presses!"

He mock laughed. logging into his register. "You're hilarious," he said dryly.

She shrugged. "It's a gift."

Later on in the shift, the two of them finally had a chance to talk.

"So, where are you two?" she asked, cleaning off the counter.

He shrugged, washing out the blender and setting it out to dry. "We're playing it by ear. His schoolwork comes first, and I need to respect that, but I'm also taking it as a challenge to teach him how to have a little fun once in a while."

"Because your last attempt went so well?" she asked, motioning toward his shoulder. "Go take something."

"Penelope-"

She put up a finger. "Do not make me call Spencer to snap at you. He seems to be able to control you much better than I can."

He rolled his eyes, walking to the back room and looking in the first aid kit for some Aleve, popping it in his mouth and swallowing, walking back. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic. So if by the second date you end up shirtless in his apartment and the curtains are closed, what in the world is going to be the third date?"

He mock laughed. "Whatever it is, it'll be none of your business."

An hour before their shift ended, Spencer walked up to the counter, tapping his fingers on it.

Derek groaned, turning to Penelope. "You called Spencer on me?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, confused. "Is that some sort of code I should be made of aware of?" he asked, looking between the two.

Penelope laughed softly. "Oh, I didn't, but that look on your faces was _priceless._"

Derek rolled his eyes, looking at Spencer. "The usual?"

Spencer eyed the menu board before shaking his head. "Surprise me."

Penelope gasped. "Excuse me while I search on the floor of this fine establishment for my _jaw_ because Spencer Reid is straying from his usual order. I think this is one of the four signs of the apocalypse," she mumbled before walking away.

Derek thought to himself before smirking. "I think I have the perfect thing for your sweet tooth. If you hate it, next drink is on me."

"Sounds fair."

Spencer tried leaning over the counter to get a look but Derek wagged a finger at him. "No peeking or it's not a surprise." Spencer sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms, waiting.

Derek walked up to the counter a minute later, setting it down and holding out his hand for Spencer's credit card. He rang him up and swiped it, before handing him the card and receipt. "Enjoy."

Spencer lifted up the drink, sniffing it. "...It's a frappuccino. I'm not used to these."

"Don't you trust me?" Derek asked.

"Well, of course I trust you, hence why I said 'surprise me', but I don't recognize it as anything on your menu-"

"But nothing." Derek unwrapped a straw, putting it into his drink. "Trust me."

Spencer put the straw into his mouth, taking a sip, before raising his eyebrows, impressed. "Bravo, consider me surprised. Is that caramel and toffee nut I taste?"

"Indeed it is. Have I given you a new regular drink?"

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Spencer said, taking another sip. "It's fall, then winter's coming, and I don't see myself getting cold beverages in the winter months. Maybe once summer hits. For now? You'll be making my regular."

Derek shrugged. "I'll take it as a small victory you even _attempted_ something else. What brings you here?"

Spencer motioned toward his bag over his shoulder. "Need to finish an assignment. I love Henry, but him screaming right outside my study window doesn't exactly give me a good working environment."

"Say no more. Good luck."

Spencer smiled, nodding in response, before walking over to a table and setting his drink down.

Penelope slow clapped. "You are _officially_ changing the great Spencer Reid into an actual college student who knows how to think _outside_ the box. Bravo."

Derek shrugged. "Baby steps."

* * *

The next morning, Derek did some work at one of his properties before calling Spencer.

"Hello?" Spencer said, and Derek distinctly heard the sound of turning pages in the background.

Derek smirked. "Reading?"

Spencer shook his head, though Derek couldn't see it. "Researching for a paper I have due in a couple of weeks. I actually ended up e-mailing my professor that assignment from the deepest depths of Tartarus yesterday, so I'm waiting to hear back on how I did. To keep myself occupied, I figured I should tackle the next assignment." He paused. "And by that I mean 'I'm not reading, why are you calling?'."

Derek let out a small laugh. "I just finished up some renovations and was wondering if it was a good time to drop off your bookcases, but if you're too busy I can come by later?"

Spencer thought to himself before Derek heard the sound of a heavy book closing. "Now sounds fantastic. How's the shoulder, are you going to be okay?"

"It's a little sore, but I can do light lifting, it won't hurt anything."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Uh huh, big macho man, and how are you going to carry bookcases into my place by yourself? Even completely able-bodied I don't think it's a smart idea."

"I can manage. I'll be there in a half hour."

Derek had successfully put the two bookcases into the back of his truck he used when he was picking up supplies for his projects. He pulled up to Spencer's and walked to the front door, knocking.

Spencer opened the door, peeking around Derek. "Wow, you managed it."

"You sound surprised," Derek said, eyebrow raised. "Did you clear space?"

Spencer pointed to the hallway. "Books are all cleaned up and there's easy access to my study for the bookcases."

"Great, I'll go get started."

Spencer put up a finger. "One second."

"...Okay?"

He watched as Spencer walked next door to JJ's house and knocked on the door. After whispering to her for a minute, she walked back into her house and somebody else walked out, making his way over to Derek.

He held out his hand. "You must be Derek. I'm Will."

"Nice to meet you, man." Derek took his hand, shaking it, before looking past him to Spencer. "So, what happened to this whole 'trust' thing from yesterday?"

"There's a difference between trusting a trained professional to make a good drink and trusting someone with an injury to lift and carry something meant for two people," Spencer pointed out.

Derek chuckled, looking at Will. "Do you mind? Hurt my shoulder trying to teach this one to have fun and he doesn't seem to trust me to know my own body."

Will gave him a smile. "Not at all."

Derek turned to Spencer. "And during this, you'll be?"

"Sorting my books," he said matter-of-factly, walking back inside.

Derek scoffed. "And probably enjoying the view," he muttered under his breath, going over to his truck and opening the latch for the back.

* * *

"So, how long have you known Spencer?" Derek asked, climbing on the truck bed.

"Since a couple years before JJ and I got married," Will explained. "JJ told me she'd had a sister and an adopted younger brother. I figured maybe her parents wanted a change of life kid or adopted a little kid. Color me surprised when I met him and he was an adult."

Derek laughed to himself. "I'm sure that was fun." Will picked up one end and he picked up the other, carefully stepping out of the bed and walking toward Spencer's front door. "At least you didn't bring a coloring book or something with you to give to him. He'd have given you the history of crayons."

"I heard that, Derek," Spencer grumbled, moving his boxes of books to the study.

Will smirked. "Luckily I talked myself out of it at the last minute. JJ said younger brother and I assumed _much_ younger. Obviously I should've just assumed nothing."

"I found that's best with him," Derek started, walking through the front door, "and before he says it 'I heard that, Derek!'."

Spencer made a face, walking to the study and opening the door before stepping out of the way. They set down the first bookcase and made the trip out for the second one.

"Accent like that, I'm gonna guess you're a southeast guy?" Derek guessed.

"New Orleans, born and raised," he said, looking at Derek. "What about you? You from these parts?"

"Born and somewhat raised in Chicago, so I still support my home teams." They both lifted up their ends and walked inside. "We moved here after my dad passed away because my mom thought we needed a fresh start, and like most mothers, she ended up being right."

"Mamas usually are," Will pointed out, following him into the study. After setting up the second bookcase, he turned to Spencer. "Need me to stick around?"

Spencer shook his head. "We can take it from here. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime." He held out his hand to Derek and Derek shook it before Will walked out, closing the front door behind him.

"He seems like a nice enough guy," Derek said. "As little brother, I take it you approve of him?"

"Well, something like that." He walked to the living room, starting to carry his boxes in and set them on the desk. "I was told by JJ that I'll approve of him. Luckily, I _did_, but being told you like someone is something that should be taught at Henry's age, not around mine."

"Good point," Derek said, looking through some of his books. They were all over the place, including old textbooks, novels, thrillers, poetry, and even a few romantic stories thrown in there. "You're really all over the place with your reading material, aren't you?"

"When you have an eidetic memory, you kind of have to be," Spencer pointed out, setting down the last box. "Helping?" he asked, motioning toward the books.

He pulled off his jacket. "I don't have anywhere else to be."

* * *

It turned out that helping Spencer meant staying and putting the books in the _exact _order he wanted. He didn't go by genre, author's last name, size, or even by title, which all seemed to be normal methods to Derek. Spencer was different and organized his books by the publication date, _then_ author's last name. A few hours later, Derek stepped back to look at their handy work, eyebrows raised.

"I'd say we did a pretty good job," he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

Spencer put in the final stack of books, nodding. "I think so as well, though it's all going to change next time I go to the used bookstore, because then I'll have to add those in. But for the time being, it's great." He turned to Derek. "Thank you, they're amazing."

"Glad I could help. Besides, you were one tripping away from breaking an ankle or two, and I've seen your coordination on two working legs. I can only imagine you on crutches."

Spencer mock laughed, pointing his thumb toward the door. "Come on, I'm making lunch."

Once they were in the kitchen, Derek sat down at the table. "What are you making?"

Spencer opened his fridge, clicking his tongue and thinking to himself. "Are you opposed to grilled cheese sandwiches?"

"Can anyone be?"

"Good point." He took everything out, setting it on the counter. "Can I ask you something?" he asked, setting a pan on the stove and turning the stove on.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "You can ask me anything, what's up?"

"Well, I've told you about my mother, my not-so-much father, and my somehow adopted older sister. What about your family?"

He got up, walking to the kitchen and leaning against the counter. "Depends on what you want to know?"

Spencer handed him a water bottle, which he took, before shrugging. "I don't know. I feel like I've opened up to you like a book, which I usually don't do around new people, and I appreciate the fact that I haven't scared you away with it, but with how much I've shared, I feel it should be reciprocated?"

He took a sip of the water before nodding. "Fair enough. Ask away."

Spencer took out the bread, untying the twist tie. "Siblings?"

"Two, Sarah's older and Desiree's younger, so I had to be a baby brother and a big brother, and had to kick any guy's ass for even thinking wrong things about them. The lesson was learned quickly after I bulked up."

He raised an eyebrow, confused. "After?"

"What, you think I came out of the womb six feet tall and muscular? I wish. I was pretty much a beanpole until I hit a major growth spurt in high school, then started doing weight lifting and running. If you'd believe it, I was smaller than you."

Spencer laughed to himself. "That'd be a sight. What about your parents?"

"My mom's Irish, and she has the biggest heart of gold on the planet. I'd get into fights because I was a little bit of a rebel after Dad passed away, and she'd just wash me up, ask what happened, give me some painkillers and tuck me in. Though, if I was in the wrong, she'd make me apologize to them and need to witness it. She's kind of perfect though. She always listened, rarely yelled, bakes like a madwoman, and did everything she could so every night, there was food on our table."

"She sounds great."

Derek smirked. "Yeah, she really is. I know you want to ask, Spencer. Go ahead, I won't be mad."

He chewed on his cheek before sighing. "I hate to be invasive, but what about your father?"

Derek's grip tightened on his water bottle and he looked up at Spencer. "My father was a cop. Greatest man who could ever live. He was brave, smart, kind, loyal, and an amazing person. He put me into sports, and that's why I kept playing through college." He swallowed, clearing his throat. "I was ten years old, and it was dad's day off, so I was with him while he was running some errands. He was running inside and told me to wait in the car with the doors locked. A couple guys ran out of the store, he ran out after them, and I just felt something bad in the pit of my stomach. I looked up and I heard the gun… got out of the car, ran over, and he was gone. Nothing I could've done." He shook his head, exhaling. "One minute we were making plans to go to the Blackhawks game and the next, he's gone. It sucked and I turned into such a little prick after, but then I wisened up and realized that I was still here for a reason. Threw myself into my schoolwork, did all the sports I could, and I hope he's up there somewhere, proud of it."

"I'm sure he is," Spencer said softly, setting the sandwiches on a plate before reaching out, rubbing Derek's arm hesitantly. "And if it's any consolation, if there was some form of trade? I would gladly offer you my father to sacrifice for yours. Your father deserved to see you grow up. Mine chose to walk away."

Derek smiled slightly, wrapping his arms around Spencer and pulling him into a hug. "We've got all sorts of daddy issues, don't we?" he teased.

"Too many to count," Spencer said, muffled against his chest. He pulled back. "Come on, lunch is served."

The two of them ate their lunch in a comfortable silence, and once in a while, Spencer would click on his laptop.

Derek motioned toward it. "Solitaire?"

He smirked, shaking his head and turning it around. "School e-mail account. I sent him that assignment and all I want is to know my grade so I can stop stressing over it."

"You need to stop stressing before you give yourself an ulcer. Don't make me make you have fun again."

Spencer laughed softly, motioning toward his shoulder. "It went so well last time. Speaking of, take something. Medicine cabinet in the bathroom."

Derek opened his mouth to respond, but Spencer pointed a finger at him. Sighing, he walked to the bathroom and took out the bottle, popping two pills into his mouth, before swallowing and walking back. "Happy?"

He refreshed the page again and groaned. "For you, ecstatic. For myself, not so much."

* * *

After lunch, Spencer all but ordered Derek to go home and get some rest. Derek took his car keys from his pocket, turning to him.

"Promise me you won't spend the day glued to that laptop?" he asked, motioning toward it.

"Eventually I'll have to use the bathroom or cook myself a meal," Spencer said. When he saw Derek ready to say something, he rolled his eyes. "I'm _kidding_. See, humor, that thing you try to say I don't have a sense of?"

Derek laughed softly. "Okay, fine. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," Spencer said, "I'll need my fix."

"Of me or the coffee?"

Spencer flicked his arm. "Very funny."

"You didn't answer," Derek pointed out.

Spencer leaned in, kissing his cheek, before patting his arm. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Answer received," Derek said with a smile, walking out and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Over the next week, Spencer came into the coffee shop his usual few times a day, and every time, Derek would ask how he did on his assignment, which was met with a frustrated groan and a headshake.

"He's seriously stressing this much over a grade?" Penelope asked.

"You should've seen him working on it. I'm pretty sure there was actually fire in his eyes. He finished it two weeks early, so the fact that his professor still hasn't graded it with less than a week to go is driving him absolutely insane. I'd hate to be that professor, because Spencer's probably shooting daggers at him right about now."

She laughed softly. "Wouldn't surprise me. Have you two discussed another date yet?"

He shook his head. "I don't think it'll happen until he gets this grade, but I can wait it out."

She smirked. "Good luck with that."

* * *

It wasn't until later that week that Spencer sent Derek a text, asking to meet him after his shift at the coffee shop. He quickly texted him back that it wouldn't be a problem and finished out his shift. At 4:00, he hung up his apron and walked out, sitting at a table.

"Enjoying yourself?" Penelope asked, digging through her purse for her car keys.

"Waiting for Spencer to get here. He wants to meet me for some reason."

"Ah, waiting for the mister," she said, taking her keys out and stuffing them into her coat pocket. "Be sure to let me know how it goes."

"Sure, if you'd like to go into great detail who _Sam_ is and why your face lights up every single time he texts you."

She scrunched up her face, shaking her head. "No thanks."

He laughed to himself. "Thought so."

She kissed her fingers, pressing them into his forehead. "Have fun, be responsible, don't break my Boy Wonder."

He saluted her and watched as she walked out, leaning back in his chair.

After a few minutes, Spencer walked in, a smile across his face as he walked over, sitting across from Derek.

"Somebody's in a good mood," Derek pointed out, sitting up straight.

Spencer nodded, opening up his bag and taking out his paper, setting it in front of Derek. "My professor printed and graded my assignment."

"...The one from, what was it, the depths of Tartarus?" he asked, reaching out for it and picking it up.

"That's the one. When I turned in my next assignment and that one still hadn't been graded, I think it lit a fire under him to get it done."

"I'll bet." He looked at the cover page, smiling and turning it around to Spencer. "You got a perfect score? Let me put on my best surprised face."

Spencer smiled. "I have you to thank for that. Your definition of 'fun' actually got me to let loose and distance myself from the assignment enough to clear my head, then give me enough to get it done exceptionally well."

"Come on, you're giving me too much credit."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not giving you enough. I used your advice for how you did your assignments and you're right, the professors may not like it, but it gave them all of the answers and made it so I had to get a perfect score. So thank you."

"In that case, I'm glad I could help."

"...Are you doing anything tonight?" Spencer asked, putting the paper back into his bag.

Derek thought to himself. "Friday, right?"

Spencer nodded. "All day."

He smiled, laughing to himself. "I'm busy later tonight, but if you want to do dinner or take-out or something, I'm game?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?" he asked, closing up his bag.

"Well, you know how I told you I have several properties?" When Spencer nodded, he smiled. "Of course, stupid question, asking if you remember something. Anyway, my shoulder's finally feeling better to the point where I can lift and build things again, so I was going to one of my other properties to do some work. If you want to do something though, I can put it off until tomorrow?"

Spencer shook his head. "No, it's fine, we can do take-out or something. I… think I'd actually like to see you get some of your work done, watch your process, if that's alright?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "You want to see me working on a house? That's an exciting Friday night to you?"

"You've seen the types of things I do with my free time. It can't be any worse."

Derek thought it over before motioning toward his bag. "What's in there?"

"Just the assignment and a couple of books I'm reading for my personal enjoyment," Spencer said, opening it up and showing him. "I'm trying this little thing you keep mentioning called 'having fun', and carrying an assignment with me everywhere isn't doing me any favors."

"I'm impressed. How about this - we're going to be in one of my houses with a lot of loud noises and such, so in return, you get to pick what we get for takeout."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "Chinese, but with one condition."

"...I'm listening?"

"No chopsticks. Give me a fork."

Derek chuckled, nodding. "Consider it done."

* * *

Derek ended up ordering their food and picking it up on their way to the house.

Spencer looked out the window as they pulled up. "...This place doesn't seem so bad?"

"Yeah, because I've been working my ass off on the outside. Now I need to focus all of my attention on the inside," he said, grabbing the bags of food and getting out, closing the door behind him.

Spencer followed close behind as he walked up to the house. "Remember, this place is a work in progress, so it's kind of a dump. I already finished the kitchen and the bathroom, but the bedrooms and living room definitely need some work. Basically, don't judge a book by its cover, I guess."

"I'm sure it's fine."

Derek unlocked the front door, walking inside and going to the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter and unpacking them.

Spencer eyed the rest of the house before checking out the kitchen. "If the rest of this place is any indication? You've done a pretty great job."

"Thanks." He handed Spencer a plate and a fork, before opening the packages and making his own plate. "I can give you the grand tour or what it'll all be once we finish eating."

"Sounds interesting." Spencer opened the fridge, taking out a couple of water bottles. "Do you always keep the fridges in your places stocked with water and sports drinks?"

"Pretty much. I need to stay hydrated because while working on my first house, I ended up getting dehydrated and passing out. Luckily my sister was in town and came by to check on me, woke me up and took me to the hospital. It wasn't pretty."

Spencer finished making his plate, sitting down at the table. "Dehydration usually isn't." He picked up his fork, eating.

* * *

Once they were done, Derek threw away their trash and washed his hands. "So, want to see what I'm doing with this place?"

"Sure."

Derek led him into the empty space that was the living room. "The previous owner used this as two separate rooms, an office and a living room, but my idea is to open it up and make it one big living room. It'll be perfect for entertaining and be a huge draw to anyone who wants to buy the place."

Spencer nodded. "It makes sense."

He then walked to the bedrooms. "They had three separate bedrooms, but I figure it would make more sense to have two: one master and a smaller, possibly for a family just starting out. That way there's a bedroom big enough for two parents and possibly a bassinet or a crib further down the line, and then a bedroom for a kid. Either that or college kids can rent it out and have two people share this room with a divider, and there can be one mutual entry point to the master bathroom."

Spencer raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Do you always put that much thought into it?"

Derek nodded. "Pretty much. And today's the day I finish tackling the wall separating these two rooms."

"You're going to tear it down?"

He motioned toward the plastic lining the floor and picked up a pair of safety goggles. "Indeed. And if you'd like?" He grabbed another pair of goggles, holding them out. "You're welcome to work out some aggression and help me."

Spencer eyed the glasses before chewing on his cheek, taking them from him. "I've beaten you at go-karts and batting cages. I can beat you at your own game too."

Derek mock laughed as Spencer put on the goggles. "Then let's go, genius." He held out a hammer to him. "Swing away."

* * *

Derek was surprised to find that Spencer was rather good at working out his aggression and swinging at the wall.

"Okay, please tell me you're envisioning your professor's head or something, because you're insane at this," Derek said, lifting up his safety goggles.

Spencer laughed to himself, nodding. "I guess you could say I was envisioning a few things to keep me motivated." He pulled off the goggles, handing them back to Derek. "How did I do?"

"Considering the wall is now nearly non-existent? I'd say you did pretty well."

"Shoulder doing okay?" Spencer asked, pointing to it.

He nodded. "I'm sure it'll be tender later, but it feels fine."

"...Do you need to do anything else here today?"

Derek shook his head. "Considering I had help with the most difficult job, now all I have to do in here is clean up the floor, paint the walls, and put in the flooring. I'm sure I can start that soon."

"Would you possibly need help?"

Derek smiled. "If you're offering, I'm accepting. After seeing you all but tear a wall down with your bare hands, it'd be interesting to see what else you've got up those sleeves." He checked his phone. "It's late and I don't want you taking public transportation. Want me to drop you off?"

"That'd be nice."

* * *

He pulled up in front of Spencer's house, parking. "Do you want me to walk you to the door, or are you all set?"

Spencer looked out the window. "Seeing as JJ is peeking out the window, more likely than not waiting for something to happen, I think I can manage on my own. And suddenly, I'm glad your car has tinted windows."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Really, why's tha-" He was cut off by Spencer's lips against his and smiled.

Spencer pulled back. "Can I ask you something?"

"...Of course."

He cleared his throat. "Well, in a few days it's Halloween, and it just so happens to be my favorite holiday out of the year for a variety of reasons. And every year, JJ has this huge Halloween party where she invites old friends from college and I sort of have to go because it's either go or sit next door and listen to the party and get aggravated by all of the noise, so I guess-"

"Spencer?"

He looked up at Derek. "Yes?"

Derek smiled. "Are you asking me to be your date to JJ's Halloween party?"

"I'm trying to anyway."

"I'll be there." He leaned over, kissing his cheek. "What's your costume and do we need to match?"

"I'm working on it, and something in the Marvel comics universe would be appreciated, though isn't necessary," Spencer told him, putting his bag over his shoulder. "Surprise me on Sunday."

"Don't worry, I will. Is this going to be date number three?"

Spencer blushed. "Well, it is a social outing involving the two of us, so I'd say yes."

"In that case? I can't wait."

Spencer gave him another quick kiss, before getting out of the car. He quickly waved to JJ before walking into his place, closing the door.

Derek wrung his hands on the steering wheel before taking out his phone, texting Penelope.

_Are you going to JJ's Halloween party?_

His phone buzzed a couple of minutes later.

_Indeed, just like I do every year. Why, was your presence requested, and more importantly, by who?_

He laughed softly. _I have a date, and I think you know who. I could use some help with my costume._

_Consider it done! Meet me at my apartment tomorrow morning._

He tucked his phone into his pocket before shaking his head, smiling to himself and pulling out of the parking spot.


	7. Halloween

The next morning, Derek texted Penelope, asking if he needed to bring anything. She immediately messaged him back that he just needed to bring himself, which he found odd, considering they were going to be putting together a costume for him. Shrugging it off, he got into his car and drove to her apartment.

When she came to the door, she raised an eyebrow. "Wow, no Spencer attached to you? I'm in shock."

He mock laughed, stepping inside. "Have you done your costume yet?"

She scoffed. "I'm insulted that you doubt me. I decided to stick with Boy Wonder's Marvel theme and am taking on the persona of Black Widow."

"...So his costume is something involving Marvel. Are we talking X-Men universe, Spider-Man universe, or Avengers-universe?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.

She shook her head. "Sorry, nuh uh. Sworn to secrecy on the details, you'll find out tomorrow. Now comes the point where we need to dress _you_." She held up a shirt before tossing it to him. "Will that fit you?"

He checked the tag before nodding. "It'll be tight, but it'll fit."

"Good, _exactly _what I'm going for." She walked over to her closet, dragging out a mannequin with some sort of contraption built onto it.

"...And that is?" he dared to ask.

"Really, you're not catching on to this? You went with me to the first showing of the movie Derek, come on. Tight shirt," she pointed to the goggles hanging on the neck of the mannequin, "protective eyewear," she turned it around, motioning toward the contraption, "mechanical wings with armholes and easy functionality. Come on!"

He eyed it for a minute before smirking. "You're making me Falcon."

She pointed a finger at him. "And Bingo was his name-o. Do you still own those _deliciously_ tight black pants?"

He thought to himself. "What you refer to as my 'nut huggers' and 'booty highlighters'? Yes. Why?"

"Because those are your pants for the costume, and you need your black combat boots. Please tell me you didn't get rid of them."

He shook his head. "Still in my closet, I'll dig them out tonight. Why am I here?"

She pointed to the mannequin. "I need to custom-fit this to you and make it so you're not weighed down the entire party, and so if anyone tries to pull the 'what are you supposed to be' act, you can put out the wings, then retract them. It's going to be a process, but this is a favor, so don't you dare start whining."

He nodded, sitting on the couch. "If that's the case? Then you're not going to get any enjoyment from me being shirtless in your apartment, or wearing very tight clothing."

She sighed. "I guess I'll have to be okay with it."

With the smirk that followed, Derek shook his head. "Let's get to work."

* * *

"Shoulder feeling okay?" she asked, picking up a needle and sewing something onto the shirt.

"Feels fine," he said honestly, stretching it out to prove his point.

She clicked her tongue before pulling out her measuring tape. "Up, we've got some work to do." He stood up and she tapped his elbow. "Arms up."

He put his arms out. "Like this?"

"Perfect, don't move." She took the measuring tape and took his measurements, writing them down and humming to myself. "I can now add 'feeling up Derek Morgan' to my resume," she mumbled, picking up some fabric.

"Should I leave you to do this, or do you need my help, or-"

"I need you to do me a favor and stay out of my way, and I mean that in the nicest way possible." She pointed to the TV. "Make yourself comfy as I make a costume that will make your little Boy Wonder swoon."

"I'm not one to defy orders," he said, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the remote.

"Yeah, unless they're from your boyfriend."

He smiled, rolling his eyes before focusing on the screen, flipping through the channels.

* * *

It wasn't until a few hours later that Penelope called him back into the bedroom. He turned off her TV, walking back there.

"Yes, dear?"

She held out the shirt to him again. "Put this on."

He pulled off his shirt, putting that one on and looking at her. "Good?"

"Great," she said, holding up something that looked to be between a backpack and a jetpack. "Now this."

He raised an eyebrow, pulling on the straps and watching as she tightened them. She then handed him the goggles and he pulled them on, before holding out his arms and turning around. "How does it look?"

"If I didn't know you were Derek Morgan, I would swear you were Sam Wilson because _damn_. I am _good_!"

He looked over into her full length mirror and smiled. "Not too shabby, Baby Girl. What usually happens at this Halloween party?"

She shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Spencer usually puts himself on Trick or Treat duty, but this year we're banning him and forcing him to have some fun, so if you have any pointers they're welcomed. We drink, we laugh, we reminisce, we have good times, and it's just a really fun party. I'm glad you're joining in this year, because Spencer, I love him to bits, really I do, but that kid needs to learn how to not have a stick in his keister just for a few hours."

He laughed softly, unbuckling the front of the backpack and pulling it off. "I'll see what I can do. What time should I be there?"

"I'd say about 5:00, if that works for you? Finish your early morning shift, go home and nap for a couple of hours, go to the party, have a whole bunch of fun, and be grateful you're off the schedule the next day."

He gave her a thumbs up, changing his shirt. "Sounds good." He leaned in, kissing her cheek. "Thank you, sweetness."

"Anything for my favorite guy," she said, winking and nudging his arm. "Especially when he's taken our sweet little Spencer and taught him that there's more to life than school, school, and more school."

"I'm glad I could help."

She grabbed the parts of the costume, putting them into a bag and handing them to him. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

After his shift the next morning, Derek had gone back to his place to get a few hours of sleep in before he was going to be up all night at the party. He never really was the kind of person to go to a Halloween party, but it was something Spencer wanted to do, and it was Spencer's favorite holiday, so he was going to do it for him. He woke up from his nap and checked his phone to see a text from Spencer.

_Do you mind coming to my place before going to the party? JJ apparently wants us to 'make an entrance' as a couple, whatever that may mean._

Derek smiled, texting him back.

_I'll be there. Mind if I get in costume at your place? I don't think I could drive with my props._

A minute later, his phone buzzed.

_That's fine. You got Penelope's help, didn't you?_

_You bet._

Once he took Clooney for a walk, Derek packed up everything for his costume into a bag and put it into the backseat of his car. Pulling up to Spencer's place, he saw that their front yards were decorated for Halloween, Spencer's more than JJ's. Smiling to himself, he grabbed his backpack from the backseat before walking up to Spencer's door, knocking.

He heard Spencer groan loudly, throwing something down on the couch. "Trick or treating doesn't start for another hour. What is with children these days and thinking that this starts whenever they want it to?!" Spencer opened the door, blinking. "...And you're not an annoying child dressed in a Disney costume."

Derek laughed softly. "No, but that rant was priceless."

Spencer held the door open. "Come on in."

Derek stepped inside and noticed that Spencer's apartment had been completely decorated for Halloween. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said that Halloween was your favorite holiday."

Spencer shook his head. "What, you don't have a favorite holiday you decorate for?"

"Oh, I do, and it's Christmas, but I definitely can't compare to you and Halloween."

"Nothing does," Spencer said, shrugging. "If you need to get ready, you can use my bathroom if you'd like. Penelope told me that I'd be proud of her hard work… we'll see."

He held up crossed fingers and walked to the bathroom, closing the door.

* * *

When he walked out, he kept the goggles pushed up. "Spencer?" he called out.

"Just getting my arm on," Spencer said from the bedroom. Rather than questioning it, Derek shook his head, going to the living room and sitting down on the couch. He picked up the newspaper on the table and looked for the sports section, taking it out and reading to kill some time.

"Has Halloween always been your favorite holiday?" Derek asked, flipping through.

"Pretty much. I had to grow up pretty fast, considering everything at home, but on her best days, Mom wanted me to still stay a kid, and Halloween was the best way to do that. It's something I held onto all of these years. Is that odd?"

"Not at all, it makes perfect sense to me."

The bedroom door opened a few minutes later and Derek turned around to look at his costume. His hair was down in his face, and he was wearing a mask covering from his nose down, and he was wearing all black with a pair of black boots. The part of the costume that stuck out the most was his left arm, which was covered in some sort of silver material and there was a red star toward the top of it.

Derek smirked. "Bucky Barnes as The Winter Soldier. _Very_ nice."

Spencer pushed the hair out of his face and moving the mask, looking Derek over and shaking his head. "Penelope, I presume?"

"What gave it away?"

"We saw the movie together and said we _needed_ to be Black Widow and The Winter Soldier. If you came up with Falcon all on your own, it's quite an amazing coincidence."

Derek nodded. "Penelope. Did she do it justice?" he asked, putting his arms out and putting out the wings, turning around.

Spencer looked him over before nodding. "Definitely, though I'm surprised she didn't put you in comic Falcon's clothing, which is essentially red spandex."

He laughed to himself. "I'm glad she went with the movie universe." He motioned toward the door, holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Spencer smiled slightly, linking his arm with Derek's. "We shall."

* * *

They walked out the front door just as JJ's party seemed to be picking up.

Derek turned to Spencer. "You sure you're ready for this? Party as a couple is kind of a step forward in this."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before firmly placing his foot in front of himself. "Step taken." He smiled at Derek, pulling on his arm and walking into JJ's house.

"The Winter Soldier and Falcon have arrived!" Penelope announced, walking over and hugging them. She had straightened her hair and dyed it back to the red/orange color Derek had seen on her before, and it was working perfectly with her costume.

"And so has Black Widow," Derek observed, giving her a once over. "Very nice."

"Indeed." She turned to Spencer. "How's the arm?"

"It's just tubing, easy on and easy off," he said, sliding it off and re-fastening it with velcro.

She gave him a thumbs up, wrapping an arm around Derek's neck. "This is mostly people from college, so you get to be the awkward one for a change and spare poor little Boy Wonder here," she said, nudging Spencer with her elbow. "But in all seriousness, eat, drink, and be merry."

He shook his head. "No can do, princess. I've got to drive home tonight, so I can eat and be merry, but the drink isn't happening."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "I'm not much of a drinker, so if you want, and just if you want, no pressure, you could have a few drinks and I could either drive you home or you can stay on my couch again?"

"I'll think about it."

She patted his cheek. "That's all I ask." She turned to the door and squealed in his ear. "Emily!" she screamed, releasing them and running over to the door.

Derek rubbed his ear, scrunching up his face. "Who is Emily and why is she worth deafening me?"

Spencer smiled. "Dorm-mates, I guess you could say? she lived in the dorm right next to Penelope and JJ, and they were like a sisterhood, if you will. She has some high-up job and they never really get to see her, so when she comes to the parties, it's a huge deal to them, and the three of them proceed to drink much more than they should."

"Sounds like fun."

He shook his head. "What's _really_ fun is calling them the next morning."

"You've done it?"

He shrugged. "Their parties have kept me up many a Halloween night, it's my right as a neighbor."

Derek smirked, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you say. Drink?"

"Whatever's bottled and guaranteed non-alcoholic. I learned the hard way to not trust JJ's so-called 'fruit punch'."

"Did you get a little tipsy?"

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "That depends, does _little_ imply stripping all of your clothes and running through the front yard?"

Derek bit down on his lip, a laugh slipping out. "I'm pretty sure that qualifies as a lot."

* * *

Spencer made himself comfortable on JJ's couch while Derek went to get them a few drinks. He looked around and saw that the non-alcoholic options were limited to water bottles and fruit punch juice boxes. He grabbed one of each and turned around to Spencer, holding them up and mouthing '_which one_'. When he saw Spencer pointing to the juice box, he gave him a thumbs up, putting the water bottle back down.

"How's the shoulder doin'?" Derek looked up to see Will making himself a drink.

He motioned toward it. "Good as new, but my pride is still a little hurt. Is this big bash your idea, or your wife?"

Will shrugged. "It was JJ's idea originally, to get Spencer to come out of his shell a little bit, since it's his holiday of choice, but then we realized that we're that couple that likes to host the parties. Not to mention we get to invite all of our old friends from college and have mini-reunions without having to deal with a reunion, you know?"

"Makes sense to me. Reunions are just awkward, at least this way you get to see who you want to see." He looked around. "I take it the little man's out for this?"

Will nodded. "JJ's mom was in town and wanted to take him out, then take him for the night. And as a parent, when someone offers a night away, you love your kid, but you take it."

"Gotcha." Derek reached into the cooler, taking out a beer. "Have a good one, man."

"You too."

He walked over, holding out the juice box to Spencer. "Enjoy the drink of a five-year-old."

Spencer smirked, taking out the straw and putting it into the juice box. "Don't worry, I will."

"Last call, you sure you don't mind either driving me home or me crashing on your couch?"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't mind at all. Enjoy yourself."

Derek opened the can, taking a sip and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder. "So, do you just _never_ drink, or are you not drinking tonight?"

"Well, considering I'm just a year above the drinking age as of a few weeks ago? I haven't had much time to legally drink, with school and everything."

Derek paused, turning to him. "Wait, a few weeks ago, you're a year above the drinking age, as in you've just turned 22?"

He nodded. "As of the 9th of the month."

"...We've been dating just over a month and you didn't tell me it was your birthday?"

Spencer shrugged. "I didn't want you to feel obligated to do something for me. I don't really _celebrate_ birthdays. We didn't when I was growing up, so I failed to see the point when I was grown up." He finished off his juice box. "JJ and Penelope try to insist on celebrating with cake and presents, and I go along with it, but for the most part, I don't care." He saw the shocked look on Derek's face and shrugged again, patting his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "Don't sweat it. I don't."

* * *

"Spencer, Emily wants to see you!" JJ called, trying to get him over.

"I look pretty much the same as I did this summer," he pointed out.

"Come on!"

He groaned, patting Derek's knee. "I'll be right back." He got up, walking over to JJ, and Derek watched as JJ ruffled his hair and gave him a hug, then he saw a dark-haired woman, who he assumed was Emily, hug him and pat his cheek.

"And over there is Spence's boyfriend," JJ said, pointing to Derek. "Can you say _wow_?"

Spencer blushed and gave Derek an apologetic look, but Derek shook his head, waving to Emily.

"I can definitely say _wow_, because _wow_. Does tall, dark, and gorgeous have a name?"

Derek took another sip of his drink before getting up, walking over and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder, putting out his other hand. "Derek Morgan."

She smirked. "Emily Prentiss," she said, shaking his hand. "Are you _sure_ you play for the other team?"

"Ignore them," Spencer mumbled under his breath. "They've been drinking far too much."

Derek kissed the side of his head. "Don't worry, I can handle it," he whispered, before turning back to her. "Unfortunately, sweetness, you're not my type."

She scoffed. "All the good ones, gay or married. Every last one of them." She eyed Penelope. "You're like, sure?"

"Honey, I've worked with him for years. Nothing I've tried worked. He's not interested."

Emily sighed, defeated, before looking at the two of them. "At least you're a cute couple," she said, picking up a tray of Jell-O shots and holding them out. "I say we toast to the cute couple and the fact that life sucks, because they're both extremely un-straight."

Derek laughed, reaching out and taking one, watching as all of the women did the same.

"Come on, Spence, you know Jell-O is your favorite," JJ said, waving one under his nose.

He sighed, taking it from her. "I like Jell-O, I hate vodka. You know this."

She pouted. "Please?"

Groaning, he took it from her. "One day, I'll learn to say no to you."

"Luckily it's not today." She held up her shot. "To Spence and Derek."

"Statuesque God of Chocolate Thunder and the Boy Wonder," Penelope added.

Emily held up her own. "To fate being cruel."

Derek smirked, taking his shot, and watching as Spencer did the same. "Good?"

Spencer wrinkled his nose, shaking his head and swallowing. "You ladies enjoy your cackling and gossiping. We're going to be over there," he said, pointing to the couch.

JJ ruffled his hair one last time as he walked away and Spencer sighed, patting it down.

Derek saw Spencer ready to speak and shook his head. "Don't apologize for them, it's fine."

"Yeah? I don't see your friends making you look like a complete idiot in front of me."

He laughed. "You just did. All of my friends are literally you, Penelope, and my family. Before the night is over, I guarantee she'll do _something_ to embarrass me."

"I hope so," Spencer mumbled, sitting on the couch and pulling Derek down beside him, resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

* * *

Over the course of the rest of the party, the two of them didn't do much social interacting with anyone but each other, but they did get to know each other better. They were able to share embarrassing stories from their childhoods, their favorite childhood memories, favorite movies, and they covered several other topics. Derek was lucky they had the chance to talk this much, and was grateful for JJ's Halloween party and the invitation.

As expected, Penelope had embarrassed Derek, walking over and kissing him on a dare from Emily, then sitting on his lap and sharing some stories with Spencer that he'd rather remain buried, including the time he'd gotten sick at work and made a mess of the store. Wrinkling his nose, he finished his drink and patted her back, motioning for her to go back to her friends.

"So, they had to shut down the whole store, huh?" Spencer asked, smirking.

"...I think I see another drink with my name on it," Derek mumbled, getting up and walking over to Will, who was making drinks. "Something strong to erase your wife's best friend telling embarrassing stories to my boyfriend?" Derek asked hopefully.

Will laughed softly, thinking to himself before making a drink. "I'm _very_ sorry. I cut them off, but something tells me early tomorrow morning, one of them is going to get a phone call and I'll be hearing all three of them complaining about it."

He held out the drink to Derek, who raised it in a silent cheers. "Thanks, man," he said, taking a sip and giving him a thumbs up, before sitting back on the couch beside Spencer.

Spencer moved in, wrapping his arms around Derek.

"How many drinks has JJ guilted you into?" Derek asked, looking down at him.

"The Jell-O shot and another shot. Now shh, I'm not inebriated, I'm comfortable."

Derek smiled, taking another sip of his drink, wrapping an arm around Spencer and rubbing his arm. "Me too."

Spencer rested his head on Derek's shoulder, smiling to himself.

* * *

When Spencer wanted to leave, Derek turned to him. "Are you _sure_ you don't want me to just go home?"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't mind your company, and I don't trust you driving. Put two and two together." He helped Derek up. "Besides, you need to sleep this off."

"I'm fine, Spencer. Believe me, I've been worse than this."

"Trust me, I don't doubt that. College athlete? You've definitely been worse." He walked up to JJ, waving. "We're going to head out. See you tomorrow or whenever you may emerge from the deep caves of your hangover."

JJ smiled, patting his cheek. "Did you have fun?"

"I did, thank you." He waved to Penelope and Emily. "Always a pleasure."

"...So are you two going home _together_?" Penelope asked, pointing between the two of them.

Derek gave her a thumbs up and Spencer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's intoxicated and I'm not letting him drive home, so he's sleeping on my couch."

"Have fun you two," Emily said, winking at them.

Spencer shook his head, walking out with Derek and closing the door behind him. "I'm calling her so much earlier than I usually do," he mumbled, taking his house key out of his pocket and walking over, unlocking the front door and holding it open, helping Derek inside.

"Spencer, I'm _fine_," Derek insisted.

"Uh huh," Spencer said, opening the hall closet and taking out some blankets and pillows. "I'm sure you are."

"Really, I'm good. I can walk home, it's not that bad."

"So I can hear on the news tomorrow morning that a drunken idiot started a bar brawl and have to see your face in a mugshot? No, thank you." He walked over to the couch, making up a bed, then helping Derek out of his costume. "If you need anything, I'll be right in my room."

Derek nodded, shrugging off the backpack and pulling off his shirt.

"I am suddenly very glad that my nosy neighbor is so intoxicated she's not outside, and she's not going to see anything," he said, closing the curtains and going to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. He set the bottle on the table, along with a few Tylenol. "Take those and get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

Derek saluted him, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss.

Spencer smiled. "Good night."

"Night, Spencer," Derek mumbled, popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing, before taking a sip of the water.

Spencer walked back to his room, turning off the lights as he went. Derek kicked off his pants and kept on his boxers, turning to Spencer. "Hey, Pretty Boy?" he called out.

Spencer turned around to face him. "Yeah, Derek?"

Derek smirked. "I love you."

Spencer smiled, shaking his head. "Good night, Derek." He turned off the light for the hallway and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Derek woke up the following morning, sitting up on the couch and squinting, forgetting where he was and how he had ended up there. He realized he was on Spencer's couch and tried to piece together everything from the night before.

When Spencer's bedroom door opened, Spencer had his phone in hand. "Good, you're up. Can I borrow your phone?" he asked, walking over and holding out his hand.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, picking up his pants off of the floor and digging through his pocket, taking out his phone and handing it to Spencer.

"4:15 in the morning," Spencer said, sitting in his armchair. "Last night I was able to take Emily's phone and change the ringtone to a car horn, and JJ's to an alarm clock."

Derek ran a hand over his scalp before rubbing his temple. "...When did you have time to do this?"

"When Penelope had pulled you aside to take 'costume selfies'." He put his phone on speaker, dialing.

Derek reached over on the table, picking up the water bottle and taking a sip. "Is this your revenge?"

Spencer nodded, putting a finger to his lips.

There was a loud whine and a sigh. "This is Emily Prentiss," Emily said, and Derek could tell her head was more likely than not still buried in her pillow.

Spencer smirked. "Good morning, ladies."

Emily groaned. "JJ, I fucking _hate_ your little brother, un-adopt him."

"If the forms existed, I would."

"Everyone, stop with the yelly voices!" Penelope said. "Too many drinks, not enough sleep, now _shush!_"

"You're yelling!"

Derek bit his lip, smiling to himself and listening to the argument. "Does this happen every time?"

Spencer nodded, sitting back and listening in. "They always forget I'm on the other end, argue with each other for a good ten minutes until they just give up, hang up, and go back to sleep. And yet they _still_ answer the phone."

"...Why did you need my phone?" he asked, pointing to it.

He put up his finger, dialing JJ's house phone. "Just listen."

They heard stumbling and shuffling before JJ answered the phone. "This had better be some sort of emergency, I swear to _God_."

Spencer reached over, hanging up the phone and tossing it back to Derek.

"All of this for embarrassing you last night? Kinda harsh."

He shook his head. "If you knew the previous parties when I didn't have a date, you'd be finding me more phones."

Derek leaned back on the couch, listening to them bicker at each other. "Can I go back to sleep, or are you going to need me for anything else?"

Spencer waved his hand. "Go back to sleep, I'll make breakfast when you get up."

He raised an eyebrow. "Technically, shouldn't I be waking you with breakfast, considering you let me stay here?"

Spencer shook his head, biting his lip to hold back a laugh as Penelope called Emily an 'uppity twat'. "It's on me this time."

Derek pointed to the phone as he pulled up the blanket. "...How long do they usually hate each other like this?"

"Just as long as the conversation goes, really. They bicker and argue, go back to sleep, wake up and they're best friends again. It's part of the hangover process."

Derek smiled slightly, shaking his head and fixing the pillow behind him before letting his eyes slip shut.

* * *

When Derek finally woke up, he sat up, stretching on the couch.

"Morning," Spencer said, not looking away from the book he was reading.

Derek reached over, checking the time on his phone and raising his eyebrows, impressed at how late he slept. "Morning. Did you get back to sleep?"

Spencer nodded, turning the page. "For a few hours, after I was called an, and I quote 'evil little shit' by Emily and 'the inner-makings of a Dalek' by Penelope."

Derek laughed softly. "And JJ?"

"Looking up how to officially un-adopt someone you unofficially adopted." He paused. "Oh, and I'm a 'total prick'." He shrugged. "Breakfast?"

"Sounds great." He pulled on his pants. "I'm gonna head out to my car and get some clothes, maybe take a quick shower. Do you mind?"

Spencer shook his head. "Not at all."

Once out of the shower and changed, Derek walked out to the kitchen and saw Spencer cooking. He took a seat at the table, resting his head on his hand and looking over at him.

"What are you making?"

"Pancakes and scrambled eggs," Spencer said, motioning toward the pans. A few minutes later, he walked over, setting the plates on the table. "And breakfast is served."

Derek picked up a couple of pancakes, putting them on his plate and grabbing the butter. "Can I ask you something without you embarrassing me about it?"

Spencer shrugged. "Depends on what it is?" he said, putting ketchup on his scrambled eggs, along with some pepper.

He buttered his pancakes before cutting them up. "Did I do or say anything stupid last night? When I drink, things tend to slip out and I make an idiot of myself."

Spencer paused, picking up his fork and cutting up his scrambled eggs with it. "You said some things."

"...Like?" Derek asked, pouring syrup onto his plate and taking a bite of his food.

He cleared his throat. "We talked most of the night, it was nice and sweet, we came back here, I put you to bed, and you may have used a certain phrase."

"Excuse me?"

Spencer gripped his coffee cup, taking a sip and setting it down, swallowing. "Before you passed out, you said 'I love you'." He shrugged. "I get it, you were intoxicated and it happens. I'm not mad."

Derek sat there, stunned. He'd planned on finding a nice way to tell Spencer about this, maybe after a nice date or a good day for the two of them, him at work and Spencer at school. He never intended to say it when he was drunk and it could be taken as something that just slipped out with no meaning. "Spencer-"

Spencer shook his head. "Don't worry about it. The few times I was intoxicated, I said things I didn't mean as well."

Derek opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't come up with the right way to explain himself, so the rest of their meal was spent in an awkward silence.

* * *

After breakfast, Derek did the dishes. He walked out to the living room to find Spencer working on some assignment. Sitting on the couch, he rested his elbows on his knees, chewing on his cheek and turning to Spencer.

"Can we talk?"

Spencer tucked a bookmark into his textbook, setting it on the table. "We can…" He tucked his legs underneath himself. "About what?"

Derek clasped his hands together. "What I said last night."

Spencer shook his head, giving Derek a small smile. "You don't have to. I understand that you'd had a few drinks and things like that just slip out. It's fine, I'm not offended."

He sighed. "It's not like that. I need to tell you something, but I need you to not be scared by it."

Spencer looked at him, curious. "...Okay?"

Derek exhaled, wringing his hands. "It's going to sound ridiculous, probably even premature, but the night we went out and I showed you how to have fun, and you took care of me after I got hurt? That's the night that I realized… I have _very_ strong feelings for you. In the past, I haven't gotten these kinds of feelings this early in a relationship, and honestly? It kind of scared the shit out of me, but then I realized that… I have no reason to be scared. I can't deny what I feel."

"...Derek, you're rambling." Spencer pointed to himself. "That's my job."

Derek smiled slightly. "Sorry. The point I'm trying to make is… that is something I wanted to say for a couple of weeks now, and I just wanted the perfect opportunity to say it. Unfortunately, Drunk Derek beat me to the punch."

"Excuse me?"

He reached out, taking Spencer's hand and squeezing it. "This relationship… I've fallen hard and fast, but I don't regret anything. I love you, Spencer. Sobered up, completely in my right mind, I mean it." He saw Spencer's face freeze up and waved his hand in front of it, whistling. "Spencer, did you hear me?"

Spencer blinked, clearing his throat and nodding. "Yeah, um, I heard you. It's just the comprehending I'm having trouble with. We've been together less than two months and you've brought in a word I thought didn't come out for several more months."

"You don't need to feel obligated to say it back, I just ask that you don't run for the hills and stop answering my phone calls."

He smiled slightly. "Come on, I get a guy like Derek Morgan, I can't exactly walk away." He squeezed Derek's hand, licking his lips and thinking. "I care about you, Derek, I do, but to me… that phrase means a lot, and I'm not personally in a place where I'm ready to use it. Not to say I won't say it, but, I just, I'm not ready to say it. I'm sorry."

Derek shook his head. "Don't sweat it." He leaned over, kissing Spencer's cheek. "I'm not offended."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He lifted Spencer's chin, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm going to head home, I'm sure Clooney misses me. Give me a call later, or just shoot me a text?"

Spencer nodded. "No problem. Thank you."

Derek gathered up his clothes, putting them into his bag and zipping it up. He gave Spencer a kiss before walking out, closing the door behind him, and digging his car keys out of his pocket. RIght about now, he wished he could go back in time and put some duct tape over Drunk Derek's mouth to stop him from being such an idiot. Shaking his head, he got into the car, starting it and hoping to clear everything out of his head.

* * *

**Author's Note:** There may be a delay in posting the next chapter - I have a family wedding coming up and little to no time to get writing done, but I will get it written and posted ASAP!


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